Health concerns keep UK's Princess Catherine away from Royal Ascot tradition

News24

6 hours ago

Princess Catherine has withdrawn from Royal Ascot as she continues her recovery from cancer, missing the event, which will be attended by Prince William and King Charles.
The future queen has gradually returned to duties after remission in January.
The Royal Ascot, a cherished event for the royal family, was also Queen Elizabeth II's favourite sporting occasion.
Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, who is recovering from cancer, has pulled out of the Royal Ascot race meeting, her Kensington Palace office said on Wednesday.
The famed sporting event in Berkshire in southern England is a key event in the royal calendar.
Catherine, also known as Kate, would not be attending Royal Ascot with her husband, Prince William, King Charles III and Queen Camilla as she continued to 'find the right balance following her battle with cancer,' the Press Association news agency added.
The 43-year-old future queen has been making a gradual return to public duties since she announced she was cancer-free in September 2024.
In March that year, the mother-of-three revealed she was undergoing a course of 'preventative chemotherapy' for an undisclosed cancer.
Kate, who in January revealed she was in remission, was said to be disappointed not to be able to attend Royal Ascot, a renowned social and sporting occasion for which the royal family came out in force.
The annual five-day race meeting was said to be the late Queen Elizabeth II's favourite sporting event.
Royal Ascot begins each day of the week with the Royal Procession, a historic tradition in which the monarch and various accompanying members of the royal family arrive along the track in horse-drawn carriages.
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They then watch the racing from the exclusive Royal Enclosure.
The enclosure operates a strict dress code: top hats and morning coats—jackets with a long 'tail'—for men and hats and knee-length or longer dresses or skirts for women.
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Charles, 76, has also faced his own cancer battle.
The king announced in early 2024 that he, too, had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer.
He has since returned to public duties but is still undergoing treatment.
Catherine on Saturday appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the rest of the royal family following Charles' annual birthday parade.
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On Monday, she was photographed attending an official royal event at St George's Chapel at the royal family's Windsor estate, west of London.