Melania Trump's 53rd Birthday May Be 'Difficult,' Source Says, as She Continues Grieving Late Mother (Exclusive)

"She is still suffering the loss," the source tells PEOPLE of the former first lady, who turned 53 on April 26

Melania Trump's birthday will likely be a reserved affair this year as the former first lady continues grieving her late mother, a source tells PEOPLE.

The wife of former President Donald Trump is expected to have a quiet birthday with her son, Barron Trump, and father, Viktor Knavs, to celebrate turning 53 on Friday, April 26. "She is still suffering the loss of her mother and this birthday is difficult in that respect," the source says.

Another source at the former president's Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida agrees to PEOPLE that Melania's birthday will be spent out of the limelight, highlighting, "She will be with her family for a low-key celebration."

"In these days, which are embarrassing for her, she finds comfort in her small family," the Mar-a-Lago source adds.

Melania announced the death of her mother, Amalija Knavs, with a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Jan. 9, 2024. In her eulogy, Melania called her mother a “ray of light in the darkest days," per the Associated Press.

Related: Melania Trump Will Always Choose Son Barron over Politics: 'She Dislikes a Petting Zoo' (Exclusive)

While the Mar-a-Lago insider notes to PEOPLE that Melania is dealing with stressors, like her husband's legal issues — including his Manhattan criminal trial, ongoing this week — she "keeps to herself and does what she feels is important."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“She can pretty much deal with anything at this point," the source says of the former first lady. "She shares her husband’s distrust of opposing political sides and does believe a lot of this is opposition from his political haters. But down deep she knows who her husband is.”

Back in January, Melania spoke fondly of her mother on social media in announcing her death. She called Knavs "a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity." Wrote Melania on X, "She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy."

Just over a week before that, sources told PEOPLE that Melania did not attend her husband's New Year's Eve event at Mar-a-Lago, with footage showing the former commander-in-chief acknowledging his wife's absence as she supported her mother, who was then hospitalized.

Related: Ex-Aide Says Melania Trump Will Be Watching 'Every Ounce' of Hush Money Trial — and Looking for 1 Thing

"Melania — great first lady, so popular, the people love her — she's now in a hospital with her mother. Her mother, Amalija, is very ill, but hopefully she'll be recovering," he said at the time, also explaining how Knavs had "been very ill" and that "it's a very tough one."

Donald and Melania's son, Barron, just celebrated his own birthday in March, turning 18. Barron has been attending the Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida since 2021, and will be graduating with the class of 2024.

A social source recently told PEOPLE that Melania views her "main job" as "taking care of Barron, and I think it’s possible that she will follow him wherever he goes to school."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.