The appearance from Kate after a turbulent few weeks for the Princess of Wales. Days ago, Kate ‘pulled out’ of Royal Ascot, as the Princess of Wales continues her phased return following her cancer treatment. The royal had been expected to join her husband, Prince William, on day two of the races, as the Prince of Wales handed out awards to the champion jockeys alongside the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Officials at Royal Ascot announced at midday that the Princess of Wales planned to join William in the second carriage of the royal procession, but less than half an hour later, Kensington Palace confirmed that Catherine would not be attending. The Princess was said to be disappointed that she cannot make the event, according to MailOnline.
Just last week, she made a highly personal outing to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital. The Princess of Wales, who spent last year going through chemotherapy, gave a rare insight into how difficult it had been to ‘put on a brave face’ in front of her children and the public, despite being ‘not able to function normally’.
Catherine admitted that ‘finding a new normal’ had been a ‘rollercoaster’ over the past months. ‘You’re not able to function normally at home as you once used to,’ she told patients and staff at the hospital, before adding how valuable it was to have supportive spaces to find solace, per MailOnline.
‘You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment,’ Kate explained. When the treatment is finished, she elaborated, ‘it’s like: “I can crack on, get back to normal,” but actually the phase afterwards is really, really difficult.’
It’s possible the Princess of Wales will make an appearance at Wimbledon later this week; As Patron of the Lawn Tennis Association, the Princess of Wales is a regular at the Grand Slam. Any appearance among the crowds would no doubt be a happy reminder of last year’s Wimbledon, when the royal received a standing ovation as she made her second public appearance following the announcement of her cancer diagnosis last February.