Princess Kate's Royal Return Is Happening "Very Much at Her Own Pace" After Cancer Scare

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3 days ago

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No matter if you are King Charles III, the Princess of Wales, or someone whose name isn't in print on a daily basis, cancer is a great leveler. The impact of the disease on a life is enormous—and so it has been for Princess Catherine.
Following her cancer diagnosis in 2024—the type and stage of which remains unknown—the future queen announced in January that she is in remission. Good news? Yes. But that doesn't mean, to use a phrase Kate herself used during her cancer treatment last year, that she is 'out of the woods.'
On June 18, Kate pulled out of going to the Royal Ascot—the annual British horse racing event that is a staple on the royal calendar—despite the fact that husband Prince William did attend.
As the public saw the princess step out publicly for June 14's Trooping the Colour and June 16's Garter Day Service, the sudden change of plans in her schedule felt jarring to some. With 2025 now halfway over, those expecting Kate's public appearances to perfectly mirror her pre-cancer life of 2023 were left disappointed.
But as Kate continues her return to public duty, she's doing it slowly—the pace of which is perhaps even further pronounced by the tireless Charles, who himself is still receiving cancer treatment and whose famous work ethic seems to be operating at the same clip as ever.
Kate's Royal Ascot absence seems to be less of a call for concern and more of a reminder of the new way forward—at least while Kate is still Princess of Wales and before she becomes queen, whenever that may be. 'The signals seem to be that I don't think there was any setback or anything like that,' royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith tells Harper's Bazaar. 'I think maybe she had done a lot in the previous week, and I think one of the things we've learned since she first announced the illness—all the way along she has been calling the shots and gauging what she's been able to do publicly.'
Looking ahead, Kate is expected to be seen for the first time publicly since Royal Ascot at Wimbledon, which kicked off this week, on June 30. She's also expected to participate in some capacity at the French state visit in July.
'People need to remember that even through her treatment, she's working away on the projects that are central to her work as Princess of Wales,' Bedell Smith adds of work happening out of the public's gaze. 'She's doing things that are meaningful to her. But, again, I think she's doing them very much at her own pace.'
As meaningful as their royal work is, even more important to William and Kate is being 'hands-on parents,' royal historian Hugo Vickers says. 'He knows, and she knows too, that one day he'll be king and she'll be queen, and then they will have all sorts of other responsibilities.'
Kate seems to be in a reprioritization phase of her life, pacing herself and realizing her limitations—and where she is most needed, whether at home or on public duty. 'I don't think that she's going to be doing quite as much of the traditional royal engagements,' Vickers says. 'I think she'll probably just choose the ones that really interest her, where she can really make a contribution.'
Calling Kate 'the greatest asset to the monarchy' and 'the great hope of the future,' Vickers adds that 'if anything happened to her, it would be an enormous tragedy.' Her absence at events like Royal Ascot are especially felt, he says, because 'she's the only actual member of the royal family now who's a real star.'
This equates to 'a tremendous amount of pressure,' royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams says. 'She does what she feels she's able to do,' he adds of Kate's approach to public duty now. 'That can mean quite a few engagements, or it could mean that there was a period where there would be few.'
Fitzwilliams calls Kate 'a strong character,' with 'enormous personal charm,' adding that she 'has carved out her own niche because she's got the beauty, she's got the talent, and she's also got the sensibility.'
As she prepares to become Queen Catherine someday, 'she has a lot of traits that are very compelling for a queen to have,' Bedell Smith says. 'She has a real sense of modesty—even humility—that is evident. She has a real warmth about her, a real ability to connect. And she also knows the value of silence, and even of mystery.'
Much has been written as of late about William as the future king, but when it comes to Kate as queen, Bedell Smith says that her sense of restraint, her ability to be a good listener, and her ability to be a supportive partner to William will serve her well in the role, when that time comes. 'As elegant as she is, she has a real simplicity about her,' Bedell Smith says. 'She has a kind of natural refinement that sits very well, and I think is very characteristic of somebody who is a good queen consort.'
'She just has that down-to-earth quality that is both in public and private,' she adds. 'You can sense it.' Bedell Smith adds that Kate's 'value is how exceptionally capable she is at doing her job. She's unwavering. She's dependable.'
But for now, Kate is recalibrating what the next part of her life looks like after her cancer diagnosis, which Bedell Smith compares to 'a bomb that goes off in your life.' As Vickers puts it, a cancer diagnosis 'focuses your mind on the fact that every day is special. You never know what's going to happen next.'
'Obviously, you can't go through something like that and not be changed,' Bedell Smith adds of Kate. 'I think it has to have deepened and sharpened her appreciation of what she has and the special way she can make a contribution to helping make the world a better place. I think that often happens to people with cancer—they want to make the most, not only of the lives that they have, but also, in many cases, they want to help the lives of others.'
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