Celebrations are in order as the Princess of Wales marks her 42nd birthday today, 9th January.
Catherine, Princess of Wales turns 42 years old on 9th January. After her first full year as PoW, it feels like people are really underwhelmed by Princess Catherine’s whole deal. Princess Catherine and her people spent the Cambridge years promising to be keen once she got the upgrade, and now that the title upgrade has happened, she is still the same old person.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have been seen on past birthday weekends, attending mass at St. Mary Magdalene church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where the royal family recently celebrated Christmas.
In 2021, Princess Catherine was treated to a birthday tea party hosted by her husband and kids at Anmer Hall. Luckily, Prince William knows exactly how to fix the perfect cuppa.
A source close to Kate previously told PEOPLE “At the end of the day, she is in training to be a future queen, but honestly you would never know it.” She said her house was a lovely, welcoming house, not a fancy, stuffy palace in any way.
Princess Catherine marked her 40th birthday in 2022 by sharing three new portraits worthy of a future queen. The snaps were taken by photographer Paolo Roversi and became part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, of which Princess Catherine is the patron.
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Last year, King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrated Princess Catherine by wishing her a happy birthday on social media with a thoughtful photo choice. They picked an image of Princess Catherine during her first visit to Wales with Prince William after they were named the Prince and Princess of Wales the previous year. In the shot, Princess Catherine smiled as she accepted a bouquet from 2-year-old Charlotte Bunting, who wore a traditional Welsh costume.
“Wishing The Princess of Wales a very Happy Birthday today!” the King and Queen’s team captioned the snap with a birthday cake emoji.
Princess Catherine also received well-wishes from military groups and charities of which she serves as a patron.
While Princess Catherine will likely spend the day with close friends, family and her husband, Prince William, she would have no problem amping up the glamour should she see fit.
She has stepped out over the past two decades in countless glamorous ball gowns, well proving that when faced with a formal occasion, she will rise to it with sophistication and not a little sparkle.
Such events range from London premieres, from the black lace Temperley London gown she wore to the War Horse premiere in 2012, to the unforgettable gold glitter bomb dress by Jenny Packham which ricocheted across the internet after the No Time To Die James Bond world premiere in 2021, to State Banquets, Royal Variety Performances, and galas at the National Portrait Gallery, where she has been a patron since 2012.
Over time, Princess Catherine has developed a formula for such occasions which, predominantly relying on Packham as well as Alexander McQueen, designed by Sarah Burton. Last year saw Burton, who made the Princess’s 2011 wedding dress, leave the house — the question for 2024 will be whether or not the house will maintain its royal seal of approval.
Her most memorable looks have come thanks to shocks of colour, that have in turn dominated front pages — the shimmering, fuschia The Vampire’s Wife gown worn to a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 was a highlight; so too was the neon green Solace London she wore to the Earthshot prize in Boston that same year.
2023 was a year of sartorial triumphs as well. From the re-worn white, McQueen gown at the BAFTAs in February (genius), paired with black, bicep length opera gloves to the dazzling display she put on alongside Blackpink, in a cascading white Packham gown with Paula Rowan white gloves, for the State Banquet held for Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee.
Cheers to many more in her 42nd year…
