Princess Kate made a "sensational" return to public life on Saturday at the Trooping the Colour celebrations while continuing to undergo chemotherapy treatment for cancer, but the efforts of such large and visible undertakings come with an inevitable "toll," royal commentators have suggested.
Kate made the surprise announcement on June 14 that she intended to take part in the Trooping the Colour celebrations marking King Charles III's official birthday the next day. The appearance was significant as it was Kate's first official public undertaking since Christmas Day, after which she underwent abdominal surgery and was subsequently diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer.
The princess wore a striking black-and-white ensemble for the celebrations in London, which included a carriage procession, military parade, and appearance on Buckingham Palace's balcony. According to royal author Katie Nicholl, this high-profile event will have proved a challenge for anyone, let alone someone in perfect health.
"The princess has this sort of swan-like quality about her—she's sort of gliding on the surface—but beneath the water, I think often she's paddling quite frantically," Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. "I can only imagine that a huge amount of preparation and time and effort and energy will have gone into Saturday's appearance."
The Vanity Fair royal correspondent suggested that Kate's health challenge was likely the reason she sat beside the octogenarian Duke of Kent during the military parade on the day.
"I think a day like Saturday, where she knows the eyes of the world are on her, there is a huge amount of scrutiny that will take its toll," Nicholl said. "I think we can probably imagine that she probably had a long and well-deserved rest afterwards. I don't think we can expect to see her in public for a little while. That's going to take some recovery from."
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams noted that speculation about future appearances from Kate will now inevitably increase.
"The princess's first appearance in public in six months was sensational. She and her immediate family are the future of the monarchy, and the show of unity they put on was pivotal to the success of this highly significant event," he told Newsweek, going on to reference the statement issued by Kate on June 14 announcing her intention to attend the Trooping event, but also updating well-wishers on her condition.
"The moving statement she put out the day before the Trooping made it clear that she is fighting a grim disease with ups and downs," he said.
"It is clear there will be enormous speculation about which events in the summer she will be attending and about her progress. As she said, she is not 'out of the woods yet,' and she has bravely reached out to other sufferers."
Newsweek reached out to Kensington Palace via email for comment.
Kate herself said in her June 16 statement that she hoped to "join a few public engagements over the summer" her health permitting.
This could potentially see her attend one of the Wimbledon Tennis Championship matches that she has regularly attended since her marriage in 2011. Kate is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) which hosts the championships each year, having been given the position by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016.
Earlier this month, Deborah Jevans, chair of the AELTC, said there was no pressure on Kate to attend.
"Our priority is clearly that our Patron has the time to recover and we're certainly not going to add any additional pressure on her recovery by speculating on her attendance at this year's Championships," she said, per the Daily Express.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
