Kate Middleton’s family arrive for her birthday amid royal crisis

Kate Middleton’s family have arrived at Kensington Palace for her birthday celebrations amid her day being overshadowed by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s resignation.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s father, Michael Middleton was tonight photographed driving into the grounds in order to help his daughter celebrate her 38th birthday.   

Earlier today Kate was also pictured arriving at the home she shares with Prince William and their children.

She looked glum as she drove into the grounds, after a turbulent 24 hours for the royal family. 

Princess Eugenie was also seen leaving the Palace earlier on in the day. 

After Harry and Meghan quit as senior royals, other members of ‘the firm’ hit back by wishing Kate ‘a very happy birthday’ and flagging her pivotal role.

The Queen, Prince Philip, Charles and Camilla specifically chose a series of pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge with high-ranking royals to mark her 38th birthday.

Their Twitter posts made clear her importance as a central member of the Royal Family and a perfect Queen-in-waiting since marrying Prince William in 2011.

They released glowing pictures of Kate laughing with the Queen and Charles to herald her great work – and also linked to her profile on the royal.uk website.

With senior royals said to be ‘incandescent with rage’ today, they tried to boost the Duchess of Cambridge’s profile as a royal female figurehead on her birthday. 

Their joyful posts featuring emojis formed part of a fightback against the family being undercut by Prince Harry and Meghan who quit as senior royals last night.

The @RoyalFamily and @ClarenceHouse accounts both posted birthday messages, while Kensington Palace released a new photograph of Kate to mark the occasion.

The @RoyalFamily account tweeted: ‘Wishing The Duchess of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday!’, before including a link to its official website about her work.

They also posted pictures of her with the Queen in Nottingham in June 2012, at King’s College London last March and at the Chelsea Flower Show in May last year.

Charles and Camilla issued a tweet from @ClarenceHouse saying: ‘Wishing The Duchess of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday’, along with a balloon emoji. 

They posted pictures of Kate in London last March, with Camilla at Trooping The Colour in June 2017, with Charles in June 2014 and another with William and Charles. 

When celebrating her birthday in January 2019, @RoyalFamily tweeted five images of Kate with children, but the only other senior royal featured was her husband William. 

This change in the photographs used demonstrates Kate’s importance to the Royal Family in just the past year, and how she is growing into her role within The Firm. 

The @ClarenceHouse account did not post a message for Kate’s birthday last year.

The new photograph of Kate is believed to have been taken at the same time as a previously-released picture with her family at Anmer Hall in Norfolk in autumn 2018.

The picture was posted by @KensingtonRoyal with a message saying: ‘Thank you everyone for all your lovely messages on the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday!’  

The Sussex Royal Instagram account for Harry and Meghan also posted a message, saying: ‘Wishing a very happy birthday to the Duchess of Cambridge today’.

Kate marked turning 38 as the Royal Family comes to terms with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell decision to step back as senior royals. 

Harry and Meghan made the announcement, without consulting the Queen and the Prince of Wales, on the eve of the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday.

Kate is expected to celebrate her birthday with William and their three children – six-year-old Prince George, Princess Charlotte, four, and 20-month-old Prince Louis.

The Duchess of Cambridge has faced reports of a rift with her sister-in-law Meghan, followed by a falling out between William and his brother Harry. 

Harry and Meghan also split their household from Kensington Palace, then left the Royal Foundation they co-shared with Kate and William.

In a television documentary, the Sussexes spoke of their struggles, with Harry saying he had ‘good days’ and ‘bad days’ in his relationship with William.

The Queen spoke about the ‘bumpy’ path the royal family and the nation had experienced over the last 12 months in her Christmas Day address, but the Windsors are now beginning the new decade with a major crisis.

The slimmed-down monarchy has shrunk further after star players Harry and Meghan said they intended to step back as senior royals, and become financially independent.

The past year’s highlights for the duchess, who married into the royal family in 2011 and became a future Queen, have included a successful tour to Pakistan with William. 

The couple visited the Hindu Kush mountain range, a traditional Kalash village and the Badshahi Mosque, played cricket and travelled in a tuk tuk.

The duke and duchess also had an unexpected extra night in Lahore after their plane was caught in a thunderstorm.

Louis celebrated his first birthday in April, and Kate was there to take an excited Charlotte to her first day at school in September.

The duchess also co-created a wilderness garden for the Chelsea Flower Show, where her children paddled in the stream and had a go on the rope swing. 

In November, as part of her focus on improving early years support, Kate spent two days privately shadowing staff at Kingston Hospital’s maternity unit in London, taking part in home visits with midwives.

In an open letter marking the start of 2020’s designated Year of the Nurse and Midwife, she praised the care and kindness provided by midwives across the country.

Kate told midwivers her visit had given her ‘a broader insight into the true impact you have on everybody you help’.

The duchess attended Christmas Day church at Sandringham in Norfolk with the Queen and other members of the royal family.

The Cambridges brought along George and Charlotte to the traditional festive outing for the first time.

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born to Carole and Michael Middleton at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on January 9, 1982.

She was christened at the parish church of St Andrew’s Bradfield in Berkshire on June 20, 1982.

Amman in Jordan was home to Kate and her family for a few years in the mid 1980s, where she attended a nursery school from the age of three, before returning to Berkshire.

At the age of 13, she went to the exclusive, private Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where she part-boarded.

She graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 in history of art from St Andrews University, where she met and began dating William, whom she married at Westminster Abbey in 2011.

She was dubbed ‘Waity Katie’ for her patience during their long courtship, and was described by William in their engagement interview as having ‘a really naughty sense of humour’.

Kate – now an HRH and a future Queen consort – is patron of 19 charities and organisations, and has focused her charity work on helping children have the best possible start in life, particularly surrounding their mental health.