Here's How Kate Middleton Celebrated Her 37th Birthday — Twice!

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, may be a busy mother of three young children, but this week at least she had a really great excuse to put her feet up and take the night off: on Wednesday, the duchess turned 37 years old. And while her husband, Prince William, may have opted not to share the details of her big day when he stepped out for a solo royal engagement that morning, it now sounds like Kate Middleton reportedly celebrated her 37th birthday twice, and that her birthday was full of friends and family.

Royal correspondents Emily Andrews and Omid Scobie chatted about Kate's birthday this week on their podcast, On Heir, according to Harper's Bazaar, and revealed that, prior to her actual birthday (which she spent at her Kensington Palace home in London), she and Prince William hosted some close friends at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, over the weekend for a fun birthday celebration.

During the episode, Andrews explained that the reason the duke and duchess had been spotted attending church in Norfolk Sunday was because they were still staying at Anmer Hall, and that they'd ended up hosting a "birthday house party" that night. On the guest list? Kate and William's closest friends (and their children's godparents), James and Laura Meade, and Emilia Jardine Patterson and her husband, David.

The Norfolk party actually sounds like somewhat of a tradition for Kate, as Andrews pointed out that "she kind of does it every year." But this year, at least, there was one big difference, in that her parents and siblings weren't there to join in. Though the tight-knit Middleton family often spends the holidays together, they chose instead to jet off to St. Barth's after Christmas (with sister Pippa's infant son, Arthur in tow!). Andrews explained,

Normally we see the Middletons go to Anmer for the weekend before or after Kate's birthday, which is the 9th of January. And so we saw Kate and William go to church [at Sandringham] last Sunday, because they had a house party for Kate's birthday.

The actual day of Kate's birthday sounded decidedly less celebratory though, because, well, when you've youngsters, you've always got plenty of things keeping you busy. That morning, while William stepped out to visit London's Air Ambulance Charity, the duchess was said to have been busy with the school run (Prince George and Princess Charlotte would have returned that week from their Christmas holidays). Though, despite online rumors that the duchess begrudgingly spent the day all by herself, Scobie and Andrews said that it's likely she and the duke had some time to themselves prior to picking their little ones up again — and, according to Cosmopolitan, the five of them are said to have celebrated the day together with tea.

Kate likely also opened up some presents and card from well-wishers later that day as well, since fans had made sure to pass them along to William that morning. Though Kate wasn't actually there herself, William did say that he felt both his wife and his children would enjoy them, a when one royal fan handed him a colorful handmade card for the duchess, the prince responded by saying, "Charlotte's going to love this," according Hello! Magazine.

So while some seemed keen to speculate that poor Kate had somehow been ignored on her birthday, it actually sounds like she had a really lovely time, both with her friends at her home in Norfolk, as well as back in London with her husband and kids. But even if she *had* spent the day alone, she'd still have done it in a palace while staff presumably performed all the household chores, meaning that either way she would have ended up celebrating her birthday in a way that pretty much all overworked moms only dream of.

After a very frustrating first birth experience, this Deaf mother wanted a change. Will the help of two Deaf doulas give the quality communication and birth experience this mom wants and deserves? Watch Episode Four of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below, and visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes.