Kate Middleton is about to celebrate her 40th birthday on Jan. 9, but her celebration may be different this time. Instead of having a huge event to mark this big milestone, everything may be low-key due to the threat of the COVID-19's new variant, Omicron.
The emergence of Omicron has affected not just Kate's birthday but also a number of important royal events. In fact, it primarily disrupted the royal family's Christmas plan with the continuous surge of COVID-19 positive cases.
Express noted that the new variant is now a national concern with the widespread of the virus. As of Jan. 1, 162,572 cases were added up, totaling more than 1 million people who had tested positive for the virus.
Though further restrictions on social gatherings are not yet introduced in England as of this writing, the Royal Family has stepped up and taken the necessary precautions to control the spread of the disease.
Queen Elizabeth II already canceled the royal family's annual Christmas luncheon and the traditional royal gathering at Sandringham in Norfolk. As a result, Kate, Prince William and their kids held a small Christmas gathering at their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall instead.
And the threat of the omicron variant would also affect Kate's upcoming 40th birthday. A source told the Mail on Sunday that there would be likely low-key celebration for the future queen consort.
Anyhow, the Duchess of Cambridge herself does not want anything grand to occur. As predicted by the royal expert Duncan Larcombe, she may have a smaller birthday celebration.
He told OK! that the Cambridges are not the type who will celebrate on their own and leave the kids at home. So, the same thing that happened on Christmas day may occur on the mom-of-three's birthday.
It will only be low-key and focus mainly on their small family. Kensington Palace, alternatively, may mark her special day with the release of her official birthday portrait.
So, what gift will Prince William give to his lovely wife? Many hope it is not as awful as what he gave her before, per Mirror Online.
In an appearance on the former England striker Peter Crouch's podcast on BBC Radio Five Live, the Duke of Cambridge admitted he was not good at picking presents for his better half. In fact, Kate never "let him forget" one unbelievable gift that he gave.
The future king revealed he gave Kate a pair of binoculars and she never let him forget it. It happened during the early days of their courtship, which helped "seal the deal."
"It didn't go well. Honestly, I have no idea why I bought her a pair of binoculars," Prince William revealed. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
