Happy Birthday, Kate! The Duchess's Birthday and Royal Celebrations Throughout the Years
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April 1939
Princess Elizabeth with a horse at Windsor on her 13th birthday.
Photo Credit: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
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September 1952
Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Charles and Princess Anne in the grounds of Balmoral Castle, Scotland. Charles is celebrating his 4th birthday.
Photo Credit: Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Getty Images
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August 1980
Queen Elizabeth II arriving for the 80th birthday celebrations of the Queen Mother at the Royal Opera House.
Photo Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images
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June 1983
The Royal Family, the Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales and their children, Prince William and Prince Harry, watch the ceremonies of the Trooping of the Colour from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Photo Credit: Georges De Keerle/Getty Images
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June 1984
Prince Charles and Princess Diana pose with their son, Prince William, for his second birthday in their garden. William looks stylish as ever in his adorable blue overalls!
Photo Credit: Anwar Hussein/WireImage
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July 1997
Diana, Princess Of Wales, at the 100th birthday celebration of the Tate Gallery in London on her 36th birthday. She wore this elegant floor-length black dress designed By Jacques Azagury.
Photo Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images
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July 1997
Diana, Princess Of Wales, receiving gifts and flowers on her 36th birthday from members of the crowd.
Photo Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images
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June 2003
Prince William looks sharp as he blows out the candles on a birthday cake given to him during a visit to the Anglesey Food Fair in north Wales. The Prince turned 21 on June 21.
Photo Credit: PHIL NOBLE/AFP/Getty Images
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May 2012
King Harald & Queen Sonja of Norway appear on the balcony of the royal palace, Oslo to celebrate the 75th birthday year of the King & Queen of Norway.
Photo Credit: Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images
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June 2012Prince William rides beside Prince Charles, leaving Buckingham Palace ahead of the Queen's Birthday Parade.Credit: Photo Credit: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images
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June 2012
The Royal family celebrates the Queen's birthday with the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
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June 2012
Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, leaves Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour ceremony. The annual ceremony, made up of more than 600 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. The parade marked the official birthday of the Sovereign, even though the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21st.
Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
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June 2012
Queen Elizabeth waves, standing with Prince Philip during the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
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June 2012
Princess Astrid of Belgium and her husband Prince Lorenz of Belgium pose for official pictures for her 50th birthday.
Photo Credit: Shimera-Ansotte/Photonews via Getty Images
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July 2012
Princess Victoria of Sweden receiving flowers at birthday celebrations for her 35th birthday at Solliden in Borgholm, Sweden.
Photo Credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
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July 2012
Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel of Sweden with their daughter Princess Estelle of Sweden at birthday celebrations for Victorias 35th birthday at Solliden in Borgholm, Sweden.
Photo Credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
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September 2012
In this handout photo provided by the Royal Press Department, Princess Letizia of Spain and Prince Felipe of Spain pose at Zarzuela Palace, celebrating the Princess's 40th birthday.
Photo Credit: Cristina García Rodero/Royal Press Department via Getty Images
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September 2012
In this handout photo provided by the Royal Press Department, Princess Letizia of Spain and Prince Felipe of Spain pose at Zarzuela Palace, celebrating the Princess's 40th birthday.
Photo Credit: Cristina García Rodero/Royal Press Department via Getty Images
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November 2012
The King's Troop Royal Artillery perform a 41 gun salute in honour of Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales's 64th birthday in London on November 13, 2012. At 64, Britain's Prince Charles may be getting older and losing his hair, as the Beatles sang, but the future king is also riding a new wave of popularity as he seeks to show his fun side.
Photo Credit: ANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images
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November 2012
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales smiles as he stands next to his 64th birthday cake with Governor-General of New Zealand Sir Jerry Mateparae, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The Royal couple are in New Zealand on the last leg of a Diamond Jubilee.
Photo Credit: Maarten Holl - Pool/Getty Images
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November 2012
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales meets guests during his 64th birthday celebrations (is that a fist-bump we see?).
Photo Credit: Maarten Holl - Pool/Getty Images
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November 2012
Charles, Prince of Wales is handed a birthday card as he meets Mark Hadlow who plays Dori in the new 'Hobbit' film at Weta Workshop in New Zealand.
Photo Credit: Mark Mitchell-Pool/Getty Images
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!
January 9th, 2013 is Kate Middleton's 31st birthday, and we couldn't be more excited to send our love to our favorite royal fashionista!
We've seen extravagant royal birthday celebrations before, but we expect Kate will ring in her 31st year with a small gathering of her closest friends and family. According to numerous sources, Prince William's gift to Kate will be a family vacation home for the duo and their future son or daughter.
In honor of the Duchess' birthday, we took a look back at how the royals celebrate their birthdays (in style of course), from parties to parades to photo shoots, and the unique gifts presented to them. From the quirky - birthday cards from a Hobbit - to the glamorous - an exclusive gallery event attended by Princess Diana - Kate has plenty to look forward to and we can't wait to see what she'll be wearing.
Click through the gallery above to see how the royal family has celebrated through the years, and check out our list to see some ideas we had for birthday dresses Kate should wear!
Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
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