On Wednesday, Kate Middleton unexpectedly cancelled plans to attend Royal Ascot, just days after a high profile public appearance at Trooping the Colour. Her husband, Prince William, arrived at the famous horse races solo, riding in a carriage with King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
“The princess is disappointed not to be there today,” a royal source told Vanity Fair, “but she has to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements.”
The cancellation comes less than a year after the Princess of Wales completed treatment following a cancer diagnosis, and in January she confirmed that her cancer was in remission. Though her engagement schedule has been busy since the beginning of 2025, she still hasn’t returned to the pace of public-facing work before her health issues became public in January 2024.
Over the last week, the princess made an appearance at two major royal events, Saturday’s Trooping the Colour in London and Monday’s Order of the Garter service in Windsor. Both engagements saw the Princess of Wales greet other members of the royal family outdoors in the sun.
“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 friend of the princess told VF. “Trooping and the Garter were big occasions and very important dates in the royal calendar that the Princess wanted to be at. She was there and looked wonderful and played her part.”
William and Catherine live in Windsor, with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The friend said that she keeps their schedules in mind as she plans her public engagements.
“Where possible, she likes to be home when the children get back from school,” the friend added. “She has been a lot busier than we thought she would be, taking on lots of engagements both with William and solo ones. We will see her out again very soon.”
