'2023 IS THE YEAR KATE WILL REALLY CARVE OUT HER OWN PATH'

THE PRINCESS OF WALES WILL HELP BRING STABILITY TO THE MONARCHY BUT STAY TRUE TO HERSELF AS SHE GROWS INTO HER NEW ROLE, A ROYAL EXPERT TELLS OK!

The Princess of Wales will mark her 41st birthday on 9 January by enjoying a party with husband Prince William, their three children and her Middleton family. As with previous birthdays, Catherine is likely to snub any grand celebrations and keep things simple - even baking her own cake.

"It will either be at Windsor or Anmer Hall but it will be a small, low-key family affair - being with family is all that matters," royal author Katie Nicholl tells OK!. "There won't be anything flashy or showy, as Kate and William do things in a very low-key way. Kate loves to have her parents and her family there for her birthdays. She will bake a cake and it will just be about being together as a family.

"It's not a big birthday as it was her 40th last year, so I expect her 41st will be celebrated quietly." But while 2023 doesn't hold a milestone birthday, the year ahead for the royal promises to be far bigger than 2022. According to Katie, the princess will be using her new role "to bring stability and continuity to the monarchy".

Kate has been preparing for her new role for years and took it on after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II knowing she has big shoes to fill, as it was previously held by her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. Katie says she will be hoping to carve out her own path in 2023. And there are also plans for Kate to use her title abroad, with the Waleses expected to embark on royal tours in Australia, New Zealand and Canada - and hopes that children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, will be able to join them.