Catherine, Princess of Wales — who we still all refer to as Kate Middleton, despite this not being her name or proper title since 2011 — delighted the Royal-loving world on Saturday, June 15 when she made a major return to the public sphere after stepping back for several months due to her cancer diagnosis.
Princess Catherine attended the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which marks King Charles’ official birthday, alongside her father-in-law, Queen Camilla, and her husband, Prince William, and three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Kate even seemed so healthy and happy to be there that her appearance has spawned a fresh cache of conspiracy theories about her.
Her Trooping the Colour attendance came as a big surprise as, right up until the last minute, it seemed Kate wasn’t going to be able to make it — she missed the rehearsal just a week prior, for instance. So why was it so important that she make it to the parade and, ultimately, whose decision was it?
Kate Middleton’s Trooping the Colour appearance was all down to a single member of the Royal family
Thankfully, that single member of the Royal family was Kate herself.
According to Vanity Fair, an unnamed “family friend” of the Royals has confirmed that Princess Catherine’s decision to return to the public eye for the Trooping the Colour procession was hers and “hers alone.” It was something that she was very passionate about making happen and it was Kate that went to the King and the Prince of Wales about the possibility once she’d been cleared by her doctors.
“It was the princess’s decision and hers alone,” said the family friend. “Catherine discussed the idea with William and with the king after having the okay from her medical team. Thankfully, she has been feeling much better recently, and Trooping has been something of a goal for her to work towards.”
As we know from Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare and various other insider peaks into the way the Royals work, every single decision regarding public appearances is a huge deal and essentially a committee decision — these days, in particular, King Charles and Prince William debate most issues and decide upon the best course of action together. Thankfully, in this case, it sound like Kate’s husband and father-in-law let her take the reins and the fact that she attended the event while still undergoing treatment was entirely up to her.
At this point, it’s unclear when or where Kate Middleton Princess Catherine will make her next public appearance, as she neglected to accompany Prince William to the Garter Day celebrations on June 17. If it really is all up to Kate then presumably she just decided she didn’t want to wear one of those ridiculous hats.