How Kate Middleton Is Spending Her 42nd Birthday Weekend — Tea Parties, Country Life and Family

The Princess of Wales has marked past birthday milestones with afternoon tea and shooting parties

Kate Middleton is gearing up for her birthday!

The Princess of Wales will turn 42 on Tuesday, and she'll likely mark the occasion this weekend surrounded by family and friends, including her husband, Prince William, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Although Princess Kate's birthday is usually a private and low-key affair, we know a few details about how she's been fêted in past years.

While the Prince and Princess of Wales are based in Windsor (after relocating their primary residence there from London in 2022), Kate will likely spend her birthday at their country home in Norfolk, Anmer Hall. Located about 110 miles north of London, Anmer Hall was a gift from Queen Elizabeth for the royal couple's 2011 wedding and is where Kate is said to feel most at home. It's where the family of five often escapes during school breaks, weekends and holidays. Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, are currently on a school break surrounding Christmas, which is also why Prince William and Princess Kate have yet to step out for a royal duty in 2024.

Related: Kate Middleton Surprises Other Parents with This Relatable Mom Move at Birthday Parties (Exclusive)

Prince William, 41, and Princess Kate often set aside a weekend at the start of the year to entertain their family and friends for a few days of shooting and other country pursuits. The guest list has previously included Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, William's lifelong friend Tom van Straubenzee and his wife Lucy Lanigan-O'Keeffe, James Meade and his wife Laura, neighbor and longtime pal Sophie Snuggs and her husband Robert.

Before she died in 2022, Queen Elizabeth had also hosted them at Sandringham House for dinner.

On past birthday weekends, Kate and William have been seen attending mass at St. Mary Magdalene church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where the royal family recently celebrated Christmas.

In 2021, Kate was treated to a birthday tea party hosted by her husband and kids at Anmer Hall. Luckily, Prince William knows exactly how to fix the perfect cuppa.

"At the end of the day, she's in training to be a future queen, but honestly you would never know it," a source close to Kate previously told PEOPLE. "If you go round to her house, you get a cup of tea, and it's often William who makes it! It's a lovely, welcoming house, not a fancy, stuffy palace in any way."

Princess Kate marked her 40th birthday in 2022 by sharing three new portraits worthy of a future queen. The snaps were taken by photographer Paolo Roversi and became part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, of which Kate is the patron.

Last year, King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrated Princess Kate by wishing her a happy birthday on social media with a thoughtful photo choice. They picked an image of Kate during her first visit to Wales with Prince William after they were named the Prince and Princess of Wales the previous year. In the shot, Kate smiled as she accepted a bouquet from 2-year-old Charlotte Bunting, who wore a traditional Welsh costume.

"Wishing The Princess of Wales a very Happy Birthday today!" the King and Queen's team captioned the snap with a birthday cake emoji.

Princess Kate also received well-wishes from military groups and charities of which she serves as a patron.

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Westminster Abbey in London (where Kate married William in April 2011) is set to ring their bells in honor of the royal's birthday on Tuesday.

Although Westminster Abbey was known for ringing its bells to celebrate the birthdays of numerous senior members of the royal family, the tradition has changed amid financial issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before 2020, the bells marked the birthdays of 12 royals. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and their four children — then now-King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward— all received the honor, as did Charles' wife, Camilla. Prince William, Kate and their three kids completed the list.

In 2024, the bells will ring for the four most senior royals' birthdays: Princess Kate on Jan. 9, Prince William on June 21, Queen Camilla on July 17 and King Charles on Nov. 14. They will also ring on June 15 for Trooping the Colour, the King's public birthday celebrations as well as other royal occasions such as the coronation anniversary on May 6.

Related: Kate Middleton and King Charles 'Are Quite Close — Closer to Him Than William,' Says Insider (Exclusive)

Like other royal consorts in history, Princess Kate has a toughness behind the scenes as she supports her husband and future king William.

“She has this public image of being nice and smiley and, dare I say, innocuous,” royal author Valentine Low recently told PEOPLE. “But she is actually strong-minded, strong-willed and prepared to fight for what she wants and what she thinks is right.”

"She’s very much seen as a player at the center of team Windsor,” added Simon Lewis, co-host of the BBC podcast When It Hits the Fan.

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