It's been a difficult few weeks for Princess Kate and her husband Prince William.
The royal couple are said to have been blindsided by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's shock decision to move back to the UK after more than six years in California.
Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, along with their children, touched down in Britain on 26 August. They are believed to have set up home in the Cotswolds area, with Archie and Lilibet preparing to start at their new prep school next week.
It's thought that William and Kate were only made aware of their decision to return a short time earlier.
The reasons for the Sussexes' return remains unclear, but it has of course led to renewed speculation about the rift between William and Harry. The future King is said to have no interest in a reunion with his estranged brother and, along with Kate, is not going to get involved in the "circus" that follows Harry and Meghan.
Family celebrations
This week, however, came a welcome distraction for Princess Kate. On 6 September, her younger sister Pippa Middleton celebrated her 43rd birthday.
The two siblings are incredibly close and, along with their brother James, enjoy spending quality time together behind closed doors.
© GettyJust like Kate, Pippa is a proud mum. She shares three children with her husband James Matthews: Arthur Michael William, born on October 15, 2018, Grace Elizabeth Jane, born on March 15, 2021, and Rose Louise Victoria, who arrived on June 20, 2022.
It's not known how Pippa chose to celebrate her big day, but there's no doubt that her older sister would have gone out of her way to make it a special occasion.
Pippa, James and their children live a quiet life together at Barton Court, a 32-room Georgian mansion set on a large estate in Kintbury, Berkshire, close to her parents' family home in Bucklebury. The lavish property is said to have cost around £15 million when they bought it back in 2022, and boasts a swimming pool and a tennis court.
Sisterly bond
The Middleton sisters, born just 21 months apart, grew up in Bucklebury, Berkshire and both attended boarding school, Marlborough College.
Kate and Pippa shared a love of sport, including hockey, tennis and athletics, which has followed them into adulthood.
© Max Mumby/IndigoAfter graduating from university, Kate and Pippa shared a £1.88million apartment in Chelsea, close to King's Road. The Middleton sisters were often spotted on nights out together at popular hotspots, including Mahiki and Boujis.
In a rare interview with NBC in 2014, Pippa said: "Obviously she has pressures that she's taken on and things. But we spend a lot of time together. We still do a lot together as a family. We have a very normal, sisterly relationship. We're very close."
The final straw for William
While Kate remains incredibly close to her siblings, the same certainly can't be said for Prince William.
It's believed William, 44, and Harry, 41, have not been in contact for the past two years following bombshell comments made by the Duke in his Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, and in his memoir.
© GettyAnd according to royal expert Robert Jobson, Prince William "wasn't prepared" to let the comments made by Harry about his wife slide.
The Prince of Wales "could take" comments being made about himself, but it was another story when it came to Princess Kate, claims Robert Jobson, author of The Windsor Legacy.
In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry described Kate as "the sister I'd always wanted" – but later detailed moments of tension, especially after the Prince met his future wife, Meghan Markle, and they began dating in 2016.
When asked if William would ever be able to "forgive Harry" now that he's back on British soil, Robert told HELLO!: "I don't think that went down too well.
© Getty"I think he could take a lot of things being said about him, but he wasn't prepared to have things said about her when she's not in a position to answer back."
Speaking about the Sussexes' shock move back, Robert added: "I think they're going to rise above all this. I don't think they're going to be involved in a tit-for-tat.
"I don't think that, because Harry and Meghan are here making a bit of noise, that's going to necessarily make them do anything.
"I think that they'll probably think, well, we've been down this road before; It creates a circus, and we're not going to get involved."
