In terms of royal family cancer news, 2024 was a big year. Both King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales, confirmed they were undergoing cancer treatment. In September 2024, it was announced that Kate Middleton’s chemotherapy had come to an end, but as she noted in the video announcement, “Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.” Now we have an idea of what that will look like. Just because Kate is scheduled to make an appearance at an event doesn’t mean she’ll actually be there. And TBH, that’s completely fair.
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Kate was unexpectedly absent at the Royal Ascot 2025, reportedly causing some panic behind the scenes at the palace. She’d been scheduled to attend and ride in a carriage on June 18. This cancellation followed two major events; Kate was at Trooping the Colour on June 14, and on June 16, she was at the Garter Day event in Windsor.
It may have just been too many things to handle. Plus, all of these events included a lot of time in the sun, which can be draining for anyone, much less someone still in recovery. “Catherine would have loved to be at Ascot. It’s always a fun day out, but the UK is having a heatwave, and she is trying to pace herself,” a source close to the princess told Vanity Fair.
Kate Middleton might be doing more behind-the-scenes work for the rest of the year
The Royal Ascot may have been a tipping point for Catherine, Princess of Wales. A former royal staffer told the Daily Beast, “Kate is recalibrating her entire life, her entire work-life balance. Wednesday was a wake-up call, not a one-off. She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with, and it was just too much this week.” Some close to the royals think Kate may be keeping public appearances to a minimum in the upcoming months.
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There could be a downside to the cancelled events for Kate Middleton. In early 2024, before we knew that Kate had been diagnosed with cancer, there were all kinds of rumors about where Kate was. While we’re not entitled to be privy to the ins and outs of her personal life and her health journey, we could see that trend of speculation over her absence reigniting if Kate continues to cancel events. And if missing events is an attempt to try and reduce attention on her, it may have the opposite effect.
Despite Kate skipping the Royal Ascot, some members of the Middleton family were in attendance. Kate’s mom Carole Middleton was there and spotted chatting happily with King Charles.
