Wherefore art thou, Kate Middleton? As you might have noticed, the Princess of Wales has not been around much this year. Even after all this time, the exact sequence of events is unknown, but to cut a long story short, she underwent a surgical operation, disappeared, and then emerged weeks later to confirm she was undergoing cancer treatment.
The Royal Family was economical with the details of what was happening, resulting in a perfect storm of speculation as public curiosity reached fever pitch. For a long time, the official line was that Kate was merely resting and would soon return to public duties. The day she was supposed to return? June 15, 2024.
June 15 is the King’s Birthday (well, it’s not, but that’s a whole other thing) and will be marked by the “Trooping the Colour,” an annual birthday parade in central London by regiments of the Household Division to show their support for the King and the Royal Family. It was initially feared that Kate would not be attending the joyous occasion, especially after failing to attend the rehearsal event on June 8 — and she did send a letter apologizing for her absence at the time:
“I am very sorry that I’m unable to take the salute at this year’s Colonel’s Review. Please pass my apologies to the whole Regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon. Please send my very best wishes and good luck to all involved.”
However, it has now been confirmed by the princess herself that she will be attending the Trooping the Colour parade on June 15. The public was also given the first new photo of Kate since she broke the news about her cancer in March. In it, she can be seen standing with her arms folded looking quite healthy next to a tree. The online reaction has been one of cautious optimism.
Good news, wishing Kate all the very best ❤️
— Pinkerton Mayweather 🇬🇧🏴🇬🇧 (@DundeePiccolo) June 14, 2024
That said, some believe there is more trickery afoot following the ill-fated family photo posted around the middle of March.
While this certainly seems like good news on the whole, Kate herself admitted that she’s “not out of the woods yet.” In a personal letter, she spoke about the cancer diagnosis and what the last few months have been like before thanking the public for their outpouring of support. She claims to be making “good progress,” but obviously “there are good days and bad days.”
Whatever the case, it will certainly be surreal to see the Princess of Wales make her first public appearance in months. This is hopefully a strong indicator that she’s winning her battle against the disease.