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Queen Elizabeth is celebrating Kate Middleton . The 93-year-old monarch paid tribute to the Duchess of Cambridge, who turned 38 on Thursday, January 9, wishing the royal mom of three a happy birthday. The royal family account shared a slideshow of photos featuring Kate and Her Majesty. The images included one of the Duchess’ first joint engagements with the Queen in 2012, another from last year’s Chelsea Flower Show and a third photo of the pair visiting King's College London in 2019. The final image of the slideshow was a portrait of Kate at the launch of the National Emergencies Trust back in November. Alongside the photos, a message read: “Wishing The Duchess of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday!”
To mark the Duchess’ special day, Kensington Palace released a stunning new photo of Prince William ’s wife taken by photographer Matt Porteous. Kate, pictured sitting on a fence, was dressed down for the photo session wearing blue jeans and a button-down shirt beneath a sweater. “Thank you everyone for all your lovely messages on The Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday!” Kensington Palace captioned the image.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry commented on the post—breaking their silence one day after they shocked the world by announcing their plan to step back from their senior royal roles. “Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duchess of Cambridge today! 🎂❤️” the Sussexes wrote. Prince Charles and Camilla also extended wishes to their daughter-in-law. Sharing a slideshow of photos, including one of the Duchesses at Trooping the Colour in 2017, another of the Prince of Wales and Kate at the 2014 Order of the Garter service, and one starring William, Kate and Charles, Clarence House penned: “Wishing The Duchess of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday 🎈.”
The Duchess of Cambridge quietly returned to her royal duties this week following the holidays. Kate held an Early Years meeting at Kensington Palace on Wednesday, hours before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they will be stepping down from their current royal roles and plan on dividing their time between the UK and North America . Buckingham Palace reacted to the news stating : “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”