Inside Kate Middleton's Reported 40th Birthday Plans

Time for a birthday bash! Kate Middleton is set to celebrate her 40^th birthday on January 9, and parts of the plan for her big day have been revealed.

As the Duchess of Cambridge reaches a milestone birthday, and the Omicron variant continues to spread worldwide, it is likely Kate will enjoy a smaller celebration to keep everyone safe like last year, per Us Weekly. On her 39^th birthday, Kate celebrated her day with her husband, Prince William, and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, per Us. With their dad, the kids made Kate handmade birthday cards with different decorations and picked flowers from the garden.

Now, as Kate's big day approaches, fans are not only wondering what she will do to celebrate, but also, if she will take after her sister-in-law Meghan Markle and celebrate like she did. On the Duchess of Sussex's 40^th birthday, Meghan announced a new initiative — one designed to help women in need get back to work — in August 2020. Now, as Kate's birthday rapidly approaches, everyone is wondering what the duchess plans to do... and if she has any plans to give back on her big day?

Bigger isn't always better! As Kate Middleton's 40^th birthday approaches, royal experts say Kate will have another small celebration due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "It's going to be quite scaled back because of the COVID pandemic. I mean, here in the U.K., the numbers are back up again," said Jonathan Sacerdoti, a royal expert, per Us Weekly. "There's no lockdown in place, but [there's] some resistance to big gatherings. It's something that people just maybe don't think is the best thing to do."

Given the duke and duchess' position within the U.K., Sacerdoti added that the royals would like to be an example to others during the pandemic. "So even for a big, important birthday, like her 40^th, and even being who she is, she's choosing perhaps to do something lower key," Sacerdoti said. "So [as] to set a good example."

Ahead of her birthday, in December, royal insiders said that Kate has been "flourishing" as she approaches her milestone birthday — and a milestone in her royal career, as she and Prince William have taken on more duties since Queen Elizabeth II has stepped back due to health issues, per People. "She has really come into her own," an insider said. Now as everyone awaits Kate's big day, other than the news of a smaller celebration, the rest of Kate's birthday plans have been kept under wraps, so we will just have to wait and see what happens.