FASHION MAVEN
THE DUCHESS CELEBRATED TURNING 38 WITH GAMES, FRIENDS AND MEANINGFUL GIFTS FROM HER FAMILY
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Champagne, a five-course feast and a red velvet cake were the centerpieces of the early celebration of Kate Middleton’s 38th birthday. The Duchess of Cambridge and her husband, Prince William, recently hosted their closest friends and family at a weekend party at their country estate, Anmer Hall.
Guests, including Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole, began arriving on Jan. 4. “During the day the group enjoyed outdoor activities — long walks in the countryside and shooting,” says an insider, who revealed that all the merrymakers were longtime pals of the pair. “They spent hours reminiscing and laughing about the old times,” the insider says. William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II also dropped by to wish the birthday girl well.
That evening, after Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 20 months, went to bed, the grown-ups dressed in black tie to enjoy a celebratory meal. “Everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and gave Kate gifts,” reveals the insider. “Champagne and wine flowed throughout the evening — they even played a couple of drinking games. There were quite a few hangovers the following day at church!”
TOKENS OF LOVE
Back in London on Kate’s actual Jan. 9 birthday, the children kept up their tradition of presenting their mother with an album of their favorite family photos from the previous year. “George, Charlotte and Louis are also planning to build a new ‘kids’ vegetable garden for their mom as a gift with the help of William. The children have already chosen their own seeds and plants,” says the insider.
That night, the duchess received the biggest surprise from her husband of eight years, who insisted on cooking her a romantic dinner for two. “William bought Kate a pair of diamond earrings and a matching necklace,” says the insider. “He also secretly booked a family ski trip to the mountains and put a photograph of the chalet where they will be staying in her birthday card.” Kate was thrilled by the gift. “She loves skiing,” says the insider. “She wants to share the sport with her kids from an early age.”