Kate Middleton's Birthday Outing With Pippa Quiets Feud Rumors (& Makes William's Silence Deafening)

As Catherine, Princess of Wales celebrates her 44th birthday, the internet has one question: where in the world is William, Prince of Wales? Kate's birthday celebration makes rumors about her and her sister Pippa Middleton's possible feud seem unfounded. As for her relationship with William, on the other hand — it's just pouring gasoline on those divorce rumors.

Despite whispers that there may be drama between the Middleton sisters, Kate's birthday lunch says otherwise. A few days after her January 9 birthday, Kate headed to Hungerford, Berkshire, which is near her hometown, to meet her mom and sister at a French bistro. The Funghi Club posted about the girls' lunch on Facebook, describing Kate as "utterly charming, gracious and every bit as radiant in person as you'd imagine." 

It's no surprise that Kate might have wanted to have a girls' day out for her birthday. And, just because she spent time with Carole Middleton and Pippa without William present, that certainly doesn't mean there's trouble in paradise for the Waleses. Yet, while news of this family birthday lunch is being spread through the media, there has been no such news about what Kate may have done with William to celebrate the big day; William's silence on social media on her birthday already wasn't helping those mounting divorce rumors.

Just because the public hasn't heard about William, Prince of Wales, doing something special for Catherine, Princess of Wales' birthday, that doesn't automatically mean that he totally snubbed her. Still, the royal family certainly cares about optics and pays plenty of attention to PR. So, it does seem curious that they aren't pushing any kind of narrative about William celebrating Kate's birthday. While not vital to keep gossip and speculation at bay, based on how the rumor mill has been about these two lately, they could definitely use a bit of good PR.

Just last week, the William and Kate divorce rumors were reignited by a new video of Princess Charlotte and Prince George. The video showed William, Charlotte, and George emerging from a helicopter at Kensington Palace with what appeared to be overnight bags in tow. For many, this seemed to give credence to the rumor that William and Kate are no longer living together. "At least the coparenting appears to be going well," one X user wrote alongside the video. While this could certainly be evidence to support that theory, it far from proves it. Ultimately, though, whether or not the Waleses' marriage is really in trouble doesn't change the fact that the public believes it is. And that means they need some serious damage control.