Today is the Princess of Wales’s 43rd birthday. I always find it interesting that she’s a Capricorn. The past year was pretty bonkers for Kate, and I would imagine the coming year will be significantly strange as well. As I’ve said before, the palaces have enacted a “kick the can down the road” strategy, where nothing is promised for Kate beyond her attendance at a handful of major events. It will be interesting if we see much of her in the next three months, and then when spring comes, there will be a new briefing that she’s still resting and recuperating and focusing on her family, how dare you expect her to work once a week. Here’s People Magazine’s birthday exclusive:

Kate Middleton is putting herself first as she rings in her birthday four months after announcing that she completed chemotherapy treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. The Princess of Wales turned 43 on Jan. 9, celebrating her first birthday after a difficult year. In March 2024, Princess Kate announced that she was undergoing treatment for cancer and shared in September that she completed chemo. In a rare revelation at her Together at Christmas carol service in December, Princess Kate said, “I didn’t know this year was going to be the year that I’ve just had.”

Looking ahead, a family friend exclusively tells PEOPLE that the Princess of Wales, described as “a real running, skipping and jumping” type of sporty person, is wisely prioritizing her health now. “She is looking after herself and is wise to do so. She will know when she wakes up if she is well enough or not [to do something],” the family friend says.

Adds a source, “She has been allowed to get back in her own way. She has been able to pace it and do it her way, and that’s great.”

“Family has seen [Kate] through thick and thin this year … There is a sense of optimism going forward,” an insider says.

Princess Kate is spending her birthday at home with Prince William and their children, who recently returned to the classroom at the Lambrook School after a holiday break.

[From People]

I was thinking this week about William’s behavior during the “Kate is missing” months, and how he really didn’t want anyone to have any sympathy for her or worry about her health at all. He kept shrugging off people’s concerns in public and he seemed annoyed when people wanted to know about how she was doing. We still have no idea what the original “abdominal surgery” was even about. “She is looking after herself and is wise to do so.” I would be willing to bet that Kate did have to look after herself, and her mother had to look after her, because William couldn’t be bothered.

Oh, Kensington Palace just released a new portrait of Kate for her birthday. What a strange pic, especially her hands in halfway in her pockets… I guess to show that she’s wearing Big Blue?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.