Kate Middleton and Prince William with their children at Trooping the Colour 2023.Photo:Chris Jackson/Getty

Chris Jackson/Getty
Kate Middletonknows a birthday isn’t complete without cake!
The Princess of Wales has previously opened up about a special birthday tradition for her three children,Prince George,Princess CharlotteandPrince Louis: baking and decorating a birthday cake…even if it keeps her up late.
“I love making the cake,” Princess Kate said onA Berry Royal Christmasin 2019. “It’s become a bit of a tradition that I stay up ‘til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing, and I make far too much. But I love it.”
More recently, the royal mom andPrince Williamteamed up with theGreat British Baking ShowfinalistAlice Fevroniato mark the 75th birthday of the National Health Service (NHS). Kate took the opportunity to pick up some tips from the expert.
“The princess was actually asking a lot of baking tips like ‘How did you get the buttercream so smooth?’ “Fevronia told PEOPLE. “She mentioned that she’d been up quite late on a couple of occasions trying to decorate the kids' birthday cakes.”
Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis and Kate Middleton in May 2023.DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Princess Kate wanted to know “about how to get the sides of the cake straight and smooth,” said Fevronia. “I used to be a teacher, so I went into teacher mode. I was like, ‘Right, this is what you need to do.’ "
“That was quite cool that I got to sort of give her some tips!” she added.
Prince William and Princess Kate, both 41, have talked about cooking and baking with their children. During the Platinum Jubilee celebrations forQueen Elizabethin 2022, marking the late monarch’s historic 70 years on the throne, the coupleshared a lookat George, Charlotte and Louis assisting in some making of vanilla cupcakes for a street party in Cardiff.
The Princess of Wales, who has called herself an “enthusiastic amateur photographer” and even had her photo of Queen Camilla on anaward-winning magazine cover, often got behind the camera for her children’s snapshots through the years.
It’s likely that the Princess of Wales will be up late in the kitchen again to celebratePrince George’s milestone 10th birthdayon Saturday.
Though the future king may seem shy compared to confident sister Princess Charlotte and carefree brother Prince Louis, a close friend tells PEOPLE exclusively, “He’s a cracking lad.”
While making sure that Prince George has a conventional childhood, Prince William and Princess Kate are also highly aware that they are raising a future monarch.
“It’s a massive balancing act,” one palace insider tells PEOPLE. “William and Kate are doing the right thing, protecting him so he can have as normal a childhood as possible, but he’s also dipping into duties as a future monarch. He’s getting firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a royal and a monarch and firsthand experience of being a normal boy.”
Kate Middleton, Prince George and Prince William in 2022.Getty

Getty
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Princess Charlotte and Prince George at Wimbledon 2023.Karwai Tang/WireImage

Karwai Tang/WireImage
source: people.com