One of the things I go back and forth on is “what kind of control does Buckingham Palace exert over Kensington Palace?” The 2024 “Kate Missington” debacle was largely fueled by Kensington Palace’s incompetence, and the situation only improved when (imo) BP took over and started cleaning up Prince William and Kate’s mess. William and Kate swear they do their own thing and organize their own meager diaries, but every now and then, you do get the sense that King Charles and Camilla order W&K to do certain things or NOT do certain things. This week, when the Princess of Wales suddenly pulled out of appearing at Ascot, rumors and conspiracies popped up. One of the rumors was that Camilla and Charles ordered Kate to stay away, or that Kate was being punished for some transgression (possibly that odd People Mag cover story). I don’t know if that’s the case. And the Daily Beast’s Royalist column says it’s absolutely not the case, and that BP’s staffers were caught off guard as well.
A royal insider told The Daily Beast there was a “real sense of panic” at the palace Wednesday, after Kate Middleton dramatically pulled out of a scheduled appearance at the Royal Ascot horse-racing festival at the last minute. The palace has provided no on-the-record explanation for the absence. However, Kate’s team sought to play down the idea that the cancellation signaled a downturn in her health, with some media briefed that it was just a question of the princess seeking “balance” as she continues to recover from cancer.
Kate herself clearly said that her plans could be subject to change when she announced she was cancer-free earlier this year, which at least gave a superficial plausibility to the claims that Wednesday’s unscheduled cancellation was no big deal. The U.K. media has largely gone along with the palace spin, dutifully reporting that Kate’s decision to abandon the legendary Ascot carriage procession was almost routine. In fact, pulling out of such a high-profile event, just over an hour before she was due to appear with the king and queen, is highly unusual.
Behind the scenes in the royal household, people are far less sanguine. The Daily Beast can reveal that the announcement left staff behind palace walls “bewildered and worried” as they tried to figure out what was happening. The situation was made worse by the fact that an official “carriage list” published at noon by the palace said Kate would be there, only for her to cancel within the hour.
One former courtier who retains good links with serving staff said, “Everyone was wandering around going, ‘What is going on?’ One minute she was going, and the next she wasn’t. This is one of the biggest days of the year in the royal calendar; you don’t just miss Ascot on a whim, so there was a real sense of panic. The chaotic nature of the announcement was eerily reminiscent of the dark days of last year. People were bewildered and worried.”
The insider added that rumors had briefly swirled around the palace that the future queen had been taken unwell and either needed to see a doctor or had been rushed to the hospital. Kate’s office did not respond to The Daily Beast’s requests for comment, but a friend of the princess told The Daily Beast: “My understanding is that Kate was basically exhausted after Trooping the Color on Saturday and Garter Day on Monday and couldn’t face it. There are good days and bad days, as she herself has very candidly said.”
One of my theories is that Kate was tired or she had some kind of cold or virus, and she didn’t believe that her cancellation would generate THIS much news. That’s the sense I got from the royal reporters – while there was concern about Kate’s well-being, there was also a real effort across the board to say “of course it’s nothing serious.” What I also gather from this piece is that KP still keeps BP in the dark about almost everything. It should have been Kate’s people informing Buckingham Palace about the cancellation and the two offices working out a statement together. Instead, BP was left in the dark and that’s why it became a larger newscycle, because BP couldn’t control the story.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- (L-R) – King Charles III, Prince Louis, Prince William – The Prince of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Princess Catherine – The Princess of Wales watch the flypast on the balcony as part of The King’s Birthday Parade Celebration also known as ‘Trooping The Colour’ at Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK on Saturday 14 June, 2025.,Image: 1010940254, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
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- Horse Guards Parade, London, UK. 14th June, 2025. Trooping the Colour, King Charles III’s official Birthday Parade, takes place on Horse Guards Parade with Britain’s oldest Army Regiment, the Coldstream Guards, Trooping the Color (flag) of 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards this year. Over 1000 officers and men are on parade together with 200 horses and more than 200 military musicians. Image: King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Catherine, Princess of Wales, on the Royal Dais,Image: 1010944551, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: MALCOLM PARK/Avalon
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- Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Prince Louis, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Catherine Princess of Wales seen on the Palace balcony for a RAF fly-by during Trooping the colour on Saturday 14 June 2025 at Buckingham Palace, London. Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards Troop their Colour in the presence of His Majesty The King. Over 1350 soldiers of the Household Division and King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery took part, including over 300 musicians from the Massed Bands.. Picture,Image: 1010947955, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Julie Edwards/Avalon.Red, Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards/Avalon
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- A service for the Most Noble Order of the Garter is held in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Monday, 16th June 2025,Image: 1011411862, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Editorial use, commercial use may require additional licenses. We don’t use AI to make images which could be mistaken for news photos. AI use will be clearly indicated. Supplied on condition you ensure personal data is processed in compliance with DPA2018, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Tony Kershaw / SWNS/Avalon
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- Members of the Royal Family during Trooping The Colour 2025 Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 14 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Members of the British Royal Family at the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 16 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Members of the British Royal Family at the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 16 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Members of the British Royal Family at the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 16 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Members of the British Royal Family at the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 16 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
Kate, happy to go on 4-5 holidays including 2 ski trips one of which she stayed with the kids whilst hubby preferred to get drunk on the balcony, but she can’t face 3 events in a week.
Her husband & mother, who you may think would be worried, looked very at Ascot and Carole used the time making sure she was photographed grinning with Charles.
Anyway get ready for Kate miracously recovering for Wimbledon. Will she flirt in front of someones wife, will she support the white non commonwealth player, will she gleefully arrive late for maximum applause, we’ll see. Or Kaiser will & she fan share.
I wonder, did she ever attend all three events in one year before? Actually, scratch that, I know the answer–she’s only attended Ascot five times in her life, the first time in 2016. She really doesn’t want to do the minimum required for her ‘job’. Being ‘exhausted’ is just a handy excuse at the moment, but the ‘recovering from cancer’ excuse has a shelf life. I’m reminded of the time she skipped that Irish guards event with them telling us she ‘didn’t want to create expectations’. I think that’s what happened this time. She’s reminding folks not to expect anything from her.
She didnt want to go because of a splat with William maybe? Didnt william pull the same sht at his godfather’s funeral an hour before he was supposed to give a lecture? This is very fishy. The king and both his sons dont blend well thats why they are zero informed. They meet like work colleagues. These people are not family.
“you don’t just miss Ascot on a whim, so there was a real sense of panic”
😂 if you’re Lazy you like doing these things. Lazy has form. Like the way Lazy made the Queen and Princess of Denmark wait.
The Palaces aren’t going to like this unpredictable version of Waity. I fall into the MH struggle camp – she’s been outed as a racist, a lazy public servant and more than two events in a week is too much for her. She’s on strike over her workload! 😂
“My understanding is that Kate was basically exhausted after Trooping the Color on Saturday and Garter Day on Monday and couldn’t face it”
The King has cancer, she does not.
The way they cover up her laziness and rudeness (an hour’s notice of withdrawal) with a litany of excuses. She’s been treated with kid gloves over her workload since the start – engagement, Wales, marriage, children, cancer – anything else? The weather? The crowds? Mummy is appearing so it’s ok?
It’s also pretty disrespectful to Chuck but there’s no love in this family so these leftovers can stew over the lazies.
In terms of celeb PR “exhaustion” is basically code for either mental health problems or substance abuse problems.
I’m with you there, I think it’s mental health issues.
So in all WanK’s ascension moves they have not added training with BP staff or do they think they are taking KP staff with them. I didn’t think it was a big deal at the time though she could have said a bit earlier that she wasn’t going, i think the whole balance thing is what blew this up. just say you have a stomach ache or a head ache
I tend to agree with this. Just say she was coming down with a cold? And while the “right balance” thing wasn’t on the record it definitely felt like that was given as an off the record reason to all the rota reporters at exactly the same time. Bc they all tweeted the same phrasing at the same time. The last minute part was definitely what made it a big deal.
I agree. You have a cold! You don’t want to get other people sick. It’s an easy and not dramatic excuse.
I was at ascot in the royal enclosure on Wednesday and it was unbearably hot by UK standards. We were in hospitality that had AC but even the 30 minutes standing in the sun for the Royal procession I felt slightly faint and sweat was just dripping off me and down my dress. I honestly thought the King shouldn’t have been there for his health. The carriage ride from windsor isn’t short. Kate also has a horse allergy which means she’d likely be on strong antihistamines which can lower heat tolerance. I’m booked to go again on Saturday and I’m skipping and just out the £6k on hospitality tickets because it’s predicted to be 33C/92F and it’s too hot to be fun. If I were her, with every camera focused on me in high def and every bit of my appearance scrutinized, I would have bailed too. 🤷♀️
I mean, then she shouldn’t have signed up for this job. Or if she really was on the verge of heat exhaustion maybe she should have skipped the carriage ride and gone directly to the area with AC.
this is her job and she skips out on it regularly ‘just because.’
In all of this @Becks1 brings us back to reality: she married into A JOB and she knew this way before she got big blue because I recall articles where William, her caring husband, explained it all to her, tried to shield from at it at first until she was acclimated to it all.
I was mandated to come into the office and after surgery I have issues with food. I HAVE to show up and there are days where I don’t eat well all day. And if I don’t show up HR comes knocking on my cube door. But you know what, IT’S MY JOB and THIS is hers. She knows she will never ever have to worry about being let go. She also has financial security and many other things she will never worry about that we do.
This is not only NOT tolerated for the rest of us, but we would be let go when we cannot fulfill our duties.
The horse allergy has been debunked and even rota confirm that it isn’t true. Kate just never got into horses and they needed a reason to explain why she can’t ride a horse when the rest of the aristo set can. She is around far more horses when watching a polo match.
As for it being very hot, well she’s ok with going to Mustique so let’s not pretend she can’t handle heat.
Even if that was a reason, there was zero need to wait until an hour before the event starts to make this decision. She would have started to get her hair and make up done for this event by the time the cancellation was announced.
Kate has always been a flake, and her events were placed in embargo because of this flakiness. What is happening now with articles like this is that royal staffers, especially from BP, but it seems KP as well, are tired of covering for her and made it obvious someone had a bit of a tantrum.
I think the timing was also a big part of the problem. had the list not come out with her name on it, this would have been a much smaller issue – maybe not an issue at all.
It either looks like KP kept BP out of the loop, or that Kate decided at some point AFTER the list came out that she wasn’t going (ie so the whole “exhaustion” thing doesnt really pan out.)
either way its not a great look.
It was the timing, absolutely.
If she felt too tired, she knew that well before an hour ahead of time. If she was coming down with a cold, had a headache so bad she couldn’t attend, she would know ahead of time.
And I think she fully understood that withdrawing was a big deal, especially when it was at the last minute. Beyond generating news, Kathy’s been in the RF long enough to understand the planning and protocol that go into official events and schedule appearances. She fully understands the expectations on family members attending events, the same way any senior employee would understand expectations around a work event. Saying “nah” at the last minute is a big deal for the staff working the event, and noping out without a clear explanation was especially egregious given her senior position.
The timing is what makes me think she withdrew for reasons beyond just not feeling well. There was an argument or mental health meltdown or something that caused her to refuse to go despite knowing the furor it would cause.
This article to confirm that Royal staffers were left in the dark is something new and a crack in the shield. It was not new for Kate to flake out, but they usually didn’t send out vague comments that lead to a lot of interpretation.
And with an hour before the event, she would have had to have started to get her hair and make up done. So something happened beyond being exhausted.
@Nic919 that’s the most interesting part about this IMO. I feel like a year or two ago had this happened, the staff would have been like well her attendance was never confirmed or something snippy. Or they would have used the kids as an excuse.
Instead they’re confirming how last minute this was, how no notice was given etc.
And I think its clear she was supposed to attend, that’s why her mother was going that day as well.
So no idea what happened, but the courtiers are getting tired of it.
Exhaustion doesn’t work, balance doesn’t work–poor professionalism works. Hers, staff, everybody associated with the Wales.
I’m betting that she and her loving husband had a tiff about something, so she bailed out. Considering the endless perks this woman gets, she needs a reading of the riot act. Also, Carole’s appearance and sucking up to Chuck made Kate’s non-appearance more glaring IMO, like Carole was her replacement or something.
“Good days and bad days” nearly a year after Kate said her treatment was over and 6 months after she said she was in remission? That does not make sense. Like many of you all here, I’ve known several people who’ve had cancer and their “journeys” were never like this. I realize that everyone is different. KP or Kate, because it seems that KP was caught flat footed as well, need to regroup because they’re sounding like amateurs.
I still think it’s so weird. Why not post that she woke up that morning feeling a little under the weather with the start of a cold and had decided she should rest. That would have been straightforward (even if it wasn’t true). The whole ‘balance’ thing just gave ammunition to people who think she’s lazy. Honestly I think KP likes to there her under the bus on purpose .
The issue seems to be that she pulled out just one hour before she was to attend. Waking up feeling sick doesn’t really cover that because why wouldn’t she then cancel immediately. The offered excuse doesn’t work either by the same logic.
Pulling out of an even last minute does raise eyebrows – and it is clear that KP do not want the real reason out in the public sphere.
I am leaning towards mental health issues – but they do no want that known, probably because yet another royal bride developing severe mental health problems after marrying into the House of Windsor is a very bad look for the BRF.
MH issues fit so much of this that its frustrating KP is beating around the bush here, considering W&K have made removing stigma from mental health such a cornerstone of their public image. It explains the need for “balance,” it explains why Ascot may legitimately have been too much after Trooping and Garter, it explains why she has good days and bad days, etc.
I don’t think it will surprise many if they announce she’s having MH struggles. Meghan struggled. Diana struggled. Margaret struggled. Sophie suffered severe post partum especially after nearly losing Louise.
But they should stop being sly about it eg the nature videos. It’s just so fake and inauthentic.
@blogger,
I do not think they will ever disclose any MH issues on her part.
1. They genuinely see MH issues as something bad.
2. The institution will look very bad if it is revealed that Kate has severe MH problems because, as you say, Diana struggled, Meghan struggled, etc. Yet another royal bride suffering mentally indicates that there is a fundamental institutional problem at play. One is is happenstance, twice us coincidence, thrice is a pattern. An it is a very ugly pattern indeed.
I agree with these comments about her MH. Another reason they won’t disclose it is it will bring too much scrutiny to her marriage, their living arrangements and how William treats her. I don’t envy her life one bit. She’s in a prison of her own design
There are visible effects of what Kate is going through, the extreme thinness being there for everyone to see. So they will never admit issues because this has been an ongoing issue for over a decade with her.
That said, it is very bad form to cancel last minute and give a vague reason. A few hours earlier and this becomes far less of an issue. Also the staffer openly admitting they had not idea what was going on shows they aren’t as willing to cover for her anymore.
Also William and Carole more than confirmed it wasn’t too serious for them because they made sure to have a good time.
@blogger It will never happen, “stiff upper lip” and all.
It honestly had me thinking about that moment that Meghan has spoken about in the Oprah interview. When she was pregnant and in that sparkly dress. She was having suicidal ideations and Harry asked if she wanted to go and she said no. They knew they couldn’t without speculation. I don’t know if it is MH for Kate or not but it’s a possibility. And if it was, choosing to say no is not a bad thing. But the way they vaguely allege to balance as the reason, through unconfirmed sources, is…idk…it’s unbelievable.
Sorry correction. Meghan said she had to go bc she didn’t want to be alone and they also knew they couldn’t cancel at the last minute without speculation. In this case, with Kate, it still causes some speculation but the BM treats it very differently. The BM would have slammed Meghan for this.
If it is mental health issues then they need to have a proper PR strategy and proper internal communication since it seems like even her own people had no idea what happened. When CP Victoria of Sweden suffered from anorexia in her 20s, the Swedish Royal Household were quite transparent about it (because it was there for all of us to see) but they also informed the press to get them to give her space.
I can understand not wanting to share a diagnosis with the world – but they can’t prepare for things like this if the staff is in the dark and they don’t have a plan. The reality is that Kate is a public person, funded by the tax payer – and the constant misdirection, obfuscation and probably downright lying is not only very unprofessional, it will eventually reflect very poorly on her and on the institution.
The frankenphoto mess lasy year was very bad for them because it became to jarringly clear that KP is completely untrustworthy and that is a big issue since William will be King. An untrustworthy HoS is a very bad thing for a nation.
Didn’t a “royal source” state a few months ago that Kate will be doing things that bring her joy? Obviously Ascot doesn’t bring her joy. Mustique, ski trips, Wimbledon do. Kudos for her for being transparent in that aspect but the whole “march back to work” thing remains hilarious.
If she wants kudos she needs to work.a lot more If she is working whenever she pleases she should not het taxpayer money.
Agreed. If she doesn’t want to work, just be honest about it. No one will miss her. Least of all the organisations she’s booked to visit. They have to prepare so much just so she can visit for 10 minutes and have a photo op.
The Palaces are so inauthentic, oops, I mean FAKING LIARS, when it comes to Lazy. 🥱
Just saying no one can say they weren’t warned.
I think she believes that she will get the same level of applause this year at Wimbledon as she did last year.
Thing is the Macrons are coming for a state visit July 8-10. It will be interesting to see if Kate attends the dinner. Wether she does or not I would find it very weird if she gets an ovation in Wimbledon.
I think this is a continuation of what she did last year before Trooping and Wimbledon. A week before trooping she made a point of bringing attention that she wasn’t attending the Irish Guards ceremony, then she put out a bizarre photo to announce her first return for Trooping, then Wimbledon. She’s intentionally creating this buzz around her and using cancer, which she told us she is in remission from over six months ago, as her sympathy card to get eyes on her return.
I’d be VERY surprised if Kate attends any of the Macron events!
It isn’t exactly her being transparent since she initially signed up to attend, only to cancel last minute. Transparency would have been not signing up to go to something she doesn’t enjoy in the first place. Also, if I’m correct, she didn’t initially sign up to go to the Garter event on Monday and it was unexpected for her to be there. So if this has to do what brings her joy, why didn’t she sign up for the Garter beforehand and not sign up for Ascot? None of this makes sense when you look at the whole picture.
It’s not just BP left in the dark, it’s Kate’s own people who are left in the dark. What communication can there be between BP and KP when Kate won’t tell anybody what is going on?
She is lazy, rude and inconsiderate but she never puts a foot wrong! 🤪
Hard to put a foot wrong when you don’t put a foot forward.
Now her ass on the other hand….
She might be, but this is weird on top of all that. When people cancel last minute, it’s because something sudden has come up, like a huge fight with a spouse or a panic attack or “omg, I can’t stop throwing up.” And if Kate couldn’t/wouldn’t communicate with the KP staff, then William should have.
Actually, I can imagine the scenario where Kate and William have a raging fight, Kate says “I’m not going” and William counters with “Fine, do whatever you want” and they stomp off leaving the staff wondering what they’re supposed to do.
I wonder if Kate just never planned to go and she (maybe William as well) just didn’t share that with anyone so when the list came out with her name on it, someone (either Kate or William) had to be like “‘well actually…..”
I can believe even William doesn’t know what’s going on with Kate half the time. If you can believe that those two are separated, then he may not have known she wasn’t going to be there when he showed up. They arrive separately to appearances often enough. I keeping think about Kate’s “disappearance” in 2023 and how sources stated that William was in the dark about some aspects of what was going on. Was it the surgery? I’ll have to go back and see. I think her absences at Ascot all Kate and everyone else was trying to catch up.
@Becks1, “they forgot to cancel” is very much like them. We know their office doesn’t like working. So, probably no one checked before.
KP should have probably said from the start that Kate wasn’t going to Ascot. I suspect that if Kate was actually working a lot the reaction to her dropping out would have been different. She rarely seen so her missing Ascot and dropping out minutes after it announced she was going to be there was upsetting to the press and royalists who are desperate for pictures of Kate.
She had 2 appearances this week, so I don’t think that’s a factor. She even wore a new outfit to one and matched her daughter. Ooh ahh.
The fact that this particular article is out here right now shows us that somebody somewhere is unhappy with all of this. The thing is…if Kate is only being lazy, that’s unsustainable in the long term. Her “job” isn’t particularly difficult–it’s just pretty clothes and chit chat.
Exactly and coming from Tom Sykes we can guess who it is.
Charles will also make her pay for this at a later date.
I’m curious, who is Sykes’ palace snitch?
Well, it’s not exactly difficult to bewilder the staffers of the BRF, it’s just nice to see their bewilderment not relating to Harry and Meghan breathing.
I mean, she noped out of all of 2024. I’m sure she now thinks she can cherry pick her “work”.
I wonder for how long the “needs balance”, “good days and bad days” excuses are going to be accepted?
There should be an annual lexicon for each of Lazy’s Not Working Year:
2025: “Balance”
2024: “Good days and bad days”
2023: Can’t recall her excuse that year except she flashed the South Koreans.
2022: “The hardest thing I had to do.” (QE2’s death and she had to do the walkabout with Meghan)
Probably ‘the school run’. William co-opted that in 2024.
Of course she might simply have had an attack of the runs.
@sunnyside OCCAM’S RAZOR. “Sometimes the most obvious answer is the answer”. “The simplest explanation is often the correct one when faced with multiple possibilities”.
It’s easy to go in on Kate Middleton. She cancels, vanishes, reappears in a blowout, buttons, and big collar, and the media loses its mind. She pulled out last minute from a big event and the takes started flying: she’s lazy, selfish, dodging responsibilities.
But sometimes, people cancel plans because life happens. Illness, a kid emergency, anxiety—things that don’t always make for a tidy palace statement. And if you’ve just been through major surgery and cancer treatment, maybe you get to not show up once in a while.
The constant jump to “manipulative” or “weak” isn’t analysis. It’s projection wrapped in patriarchy. It’s old, boring, and says more about the culture than it does about her.
So yeah, question the Firm. Side-eye the PR. But maybe don’t turn every sick day into a scandal.
Maybe Kate just had a bad day.
Skiing holiday/s. ⛷️
Also, Chuck has cancer. I’m sure he has more bad days than her.
She did get to not show up for a while. for a whole year plus.
When another senior royal pulls out last minute – which rarely happens, FYI, Charles has managed to maintain a heavy workload while ALSO battling cancer – there is usually more information given. For example when Camilla missed events last – November maybe? – we were told she was battling a chest infection. there was a reason for the last minute pull out of events. Even when Charles missed events last minute last month we were told that it was bc he had to go to the hospital as a result of a cancer treatment.
Only Kate is given the grace to miss events because she just doesn’t feel like going. That’s not patriarchy.
And to repeat- had Kate bothered to tell anyone that she wasn’t going on Tuesday night, or Wednesday AM when she woke up – that she didn’t feel well and couldn’t make it – this would be much less of an issue.
FINALLY – the palace sources are carefully not saying this is related to her cancer treatment (which ended almost a year ago FYI.) This line about exhaustion is the closest we’ve come but that’s a little ludicrous considering Trooping was Saturday and Garter was Monday (so she had a day off in between) – the closest we’ve come to a direct admission from KP that this is health related.
it seems the KP line is that this is about finding “balance” but I dont know what that means in this context.
This whole story has reminded me of when super-pregnant Meghan attended Cirque de Soleil wearing that sparkly dark blue gown. She looked spectacular, but inside she was miserable and thinking about ending it all. I don’t think she could have gotten away with not showing up the last minute.
@Eurydice, I should have read further bc I just referenced that same moment above. Not necessarily that Kate is having a MH issue, she could be or could not be idk, but that it was a last minute decision. And the Sussexes were aware it would cause speculation and the Wales had to know this would as well.
@Kara, you’re right, everybody has bad days. But she could have given them more notice (even the night before) and then a credible excuse, like that summer cold. Normally an assistant briefs their principal about the day ahead, and that’s when it would have been obvious she wasn’t going. It was all avoidable if everybody, including Kate, had acted professionally. That’s what makes it seem more like a last-minute flake.
But she hasn’t “just been through major surgery and cancer treatment”. She’s shown repeatedly that she’s well enough to go on a couple of ski vacations plus a trip to Mustique. I’m retired now but when I was working I couldn’t take days off because I was having a “down” day or a headache, you pull up your socks, take a pill and get on with it because that’s what being a responsible person is all about. I’ve had to work outside events when it was 30+ degrees and dead humid, you just get on with it. She and William probably had a snit-fit about something, she stomped off and he just said “Fine, I’ll do it myself, I prefer it that way anyway”. This shows a TOTAL lack of respect and work ethic, neither of which she’s ever had and never will.
Then that’s what they say, sorry, she’s having a bad day, not feeling well. It’s not that hard.
Exactly, it’s such a simple statement to make. And she’s had form for doing so in the past, so what was the problem this time. Maybe her solution was calling Carole in the replace her (shrug). But it’s beyond ridiculous, not to mention unprofessional and disrespectful, to bail so late given her endless privilege.
I think Willy and Kate had a fight, maybe over Kate being late, and one of them pulled the plug: Willy had a tantrum and put his big, dumb foot down, or Kate said, “Screw you, I’m not going.”
Was it just a blip, feeling exhausted in the heatwave or does Kate have carte blanche to just turn up when her chakras are aligned from now on? Going forward this should be better managed. Don’t announce her events too far in advance and Kate needs to let her team know immediately if she’s indisposed. Temporary crisis or the new normal? She has the time and money to be receiving private treatment for any health issue that may be impeding her from living her best life and er, working a bit more?
She doesn’t strike me as being into chakras. Pilates if pushed, but definitely not yoga. That’s for the American. Maybe that’s why she’s all out of sorts, incurious and all that.
I’m sure she’s recovering in some Norfolk forest.
“or does Kate have carte blanche to just turn up when her chakras are aligned from now on?”
😂😂😂
@HeatherC, this is my comment of the year, for which I thank you: “Hard to put a foot wrong when you don’t put a foot forward.” …and this is the morale of saint Kate. I think a lot of British life can be explained this way: like, there’s always a braying chorus waiting to pounce. So your best bet is to keep your head down, toe the line, and knuckle under. That seems to be the through line in so many ways in this society. And Meghan did not do that: she was exuberantly engaged and took initiative, and exercised agency, and held people accountable. And that put the fear of god into them. It’s not just about race and gender: it’s about free will and personal autonomy. They’re very ambivalent about that stuff. Americans learn to take it on the chin, keep calm and carry on. Otherwise we would implode. British people are best summed up in the way Bill Bryson (an American) described a part of England (where he lives): “it’s a touchy duchy.” Which …is an awkward combination. Being very touchy and also very prone to scrutinise and judge, is an awkward combination. They continually trip on their own psychic baggage.
While Meghan had professional expectations of her staff, she herself admitted that for a long time she did EVERYTHING the palace wanted her to do, to the point where in the Oprah interview she said she couldn’t even meet friends or do anything or leave her home because the tabloids were already writing too many articles about her, and the palace staff didn’t want to add to it (while leaking to those tabloids, of course). So the idea that she just came in like a breath of fresh air and *that* was what people objected to, is not strictly correct (part of that is because of people like Charles who never wanted Harry to marry her in the first place and we all know why).
The British public may have been tart-tongued at times towards Elizabeth II’s generation but the Princess of Wales has never received the kind of scrutiny and cynicism that anyone else in the family has. I’m not saying that’s necessarily bad since the press are terrible and nobody needs to endure them (they are a huge reason why there is so much dysfunction in that family going back to Elizabeth and Philip) but it’s a fact. If Meghan had dropped an event like this an hour before, we know what the headlines would be. The Princess of Wales can do whatever she wants but let’s call a spade a spade.
They used to write unpleasant stories about Kate, nothing as bad as their treatment of Meghan of course, but that all changed when she arrived on the scene, so now they praise Kate to make Meghan look bad by comparison. Hampered of course by Meghan’s work ethic.
The snark pre-wedding and a few articles here and there about hair or being work-shy are the worst it got for her (and a few tongue-in-cheek chain-yanking articles occasionally now, since that’s how the British press has always worked; have to have a couple of those now and then). Now, granted, it’s all bad and just because that stuff wasn’t as terrible as what others had written about them doesn’t mean it’s ok. But framing this as “she’s a victim of the same system in the same way” is just not accurate for obvious reasons but because it also ignores a vital truth: she is pretty much the only remaining working royal anyone cares about internationally or in terms of PR. So she can decide what she wants to do or not.
It’s the Tall Poppy thing, isn’t it – plus, this attitude of downplaying success and celebrating failure.
Ugh—crabs in a barrel. What a way to live. A Fish Called Wanda nailed this: “Wanda, do you have any idea what it’s like being English? Being so correct all the time, being so stifled by this dread of, of doing the wrong thing, of saying to someone “Are you married?” and hearing “My wife left me this morning,” or saying, uh, “Do you have children?” and being told they all burned to death on Wednesday. You see, Wanda, we’ll all terrified of embarrassment. That’s why we’re so… dead. Most of my friends are dead, you know, we have these piles of corpses to dinner. But you’re alive, God bless you, and I want to be, I’m so fed up with all this.”
Chuck is almost as estranged from Will as he is from Harry. Will won’t tell his father/BP his plans, Chuck/BP aren’t covering for Will/Kate.
The Crohn’s disease theory that people were discussing yesterday makes a lot of sense. It would explain the K’s abdominal surgery last year, her unannounced visits, non-attendance at engagements where meals are served, noticeable weight loss, etc. A sudden “flare up” would also explain why K cancelled at such short notice yesterday. If she has Crohn’s I think WanK would guard that fact close to their chests and only divulge that information to staff on a need to know basis. WanK couldn’t handle M referring to K’s hormones so there’s no way they’d risk people talking about K’s “flare ups”.
“The Crohn’s disease theory that people were discussing yesterday makes a lot of sense.”
I don’t necessary believe that *BUT* the sly way the BM was reporting that she was only doing engagements close to her home, in the period before all that ‘she’s missing’ business, did seem pointed, as if the BM caught wind something was impeding her health wise from doing more and she was so often photographed holding her stomach…
Long term crohn’s can lead to cancer.
If you have Crohn’s disease you should avoid alcohol. Yet Kate loves crack baby cocktails, Guinness, wine….
If you have Crohn’s disease you have to avoid the sun as one of the drugs typically given is like chemo, you can burn and get rashes very easily.
At one of the two events she attended there was a picture of her with her hand to her waist. I wonder if she was upset with the booing as she rode by in the carriage. She’s an odd duck, that one. The years and years of copy keeping not only of Meghan but Jecca as well. Who does that?
That is why they don’t announce both Will & Kate’s visits anymore. Some part of it is about protests, but I am sure the big part is about being able to cancel the last minute without causing huge headlines and conspiracies if they change their mind.
Wonder what Kate and Willie were arguing about.
I sometimes wonder if this ‘maybe/maybe not’ business with Kate’s appearances is to detract from Meghan’s As Ever restock.
I’m reading that comment Bromptonviewer and trying to work out if you mean you spent £6k – six thousand pounds – on Ascot tickets that you aren’t going to use.
Either Kate failed to inform her people in a timely manner that she couldn’t handle another outing or KPs comms people failed to inform BP in a timely manner, or she pulled out at the last minute. So either there is incompetence or some foolery afoot. Which is it?
I’d say a bit of both. It could be also that Kate is just being a brat … entirely possible.
I am intrigued by the shade in this paragraph: “…superficial plausibility to the claims that Wednesday’s unscheduled cancellation was no big deal. The U.K. media has largely gone along with the palace spin, dutifully reporting that Kate’s decision to abandon the legendary Ascot carriage procession was almost routine. ”
Superficial plausibility? Tell me you don’t believe it without directly saying so.
Largely gone along? Some people can see through the story.
Dutifully reporting? We don’t want to but we have to.
Also if she does have something like Crohn’s, the BP and KP staff would know that and they would have published a reasonable explanation for her absence, not been scrambling and “bewildered”.
Maybe she does have something like Crohn’s and once again, this entrenched bunch can’t see the goodwill and PR coupe they could have by being open and honest about a health issue. They just keep on with their same backwards behavior, generation after generation even when they see the utter mess that creates. They are incapable of evolving.
I don’t think K&W would tell the staff if Kate was sick with some long term illness. They always said they have very few trusted people around them and they keep everyone else in the dark about what is going on because they know their staff is full of leakers.
Truth. And they are so secretive.
If BP was in the dark then it means William left her home. Maybe she came
out in another bright red number that he hated.
Kate, the great school athlete, exhausted after a couple of carriage rides? Kate, the ‘wild’ swimmer? Kate, the great skier, who went twice this season (that we know of)? Kate, who went skippedy do dah through the country mart in the midst of her ‘chemo’? Kate, who allegedly finished chemo last summer/fall & announced herself cancer-free & then in remission last winter? That Kate? Exhausted, was she? Huh.
Or maybe she forgot, and when her dresser showed up with the coat dress they couldn’t find her because she was out shopping or enjoying naytcha. And BP staff is over making excuses for her.
Crohns or mental health issues are also plausible. Although you’d think Carole wouldn’t have looked as pleased with herself at Ascot if there had been a mental health crisis going on at the same time.
Considering how they treated Diana’s & Meghan’s MH issues, they were probably thinking yay, we can enjoy ourselves now that we don’t have that Debbie Downer hanging all over us.
Oh no, not bewildered staffers. The only people upset about the missing princess are the press. Carol didn’t look upset. Peg looked unbothered and relaxed, maybe a little tipsy. Chuck only cares about himself.
The press wants us to believe that Kate cancelled suddenly. Well, to me that signals emergency–Chron’s disease, severe migraine, whatever. Something she couldn’t power through. If she were really in such a poor state, you would expect William and Carole to be more subdued. But instead they are having the time of their lives. These photos will come back to haunt William. He shouldn’t be giving us Hooray Henry when Kate is having a major health issue. I can’t believe their coms department is so bad at this. I saw a photo of them from Trooping last week on Getty and…my goodness. Smh.
I can’t even imagine. What’s the Irish ceremony she attended for the first time and after let it be known she wasn’t to be expected every year? Reading that I thought she didn’t really say that, did she? That was an enormous amount of cheek. It must have y taken so much out of her in the years’ long campaign to marry into royalty. As in who the hell does she think she is?
Who does she think she is? The Princess of Wales and the future queen. She can do whatever, whenever. Who’s to stop her or say no? Charles? Nope. She is married to an independently wealthy man. Charles can’t use withdrawal of support any longer. William? She doesn’t care what he thinks. She has enough on him to sink the ship. For that reason, he won’t push back because he needs her silence.
I’m with you on this. William is not leaving Kate. There is no divorce in the pipeline. Once Charles became king his financial leash on William and Kate ended.
There is no one to make Kate do anything. She will do what she pleases and will occasionally throw a bone to the peasants. She’s here to what brings her joy….and that’s it.
Maybe for the moment. If he wants out and someone else he Will get out. If it happens she will get a good settlement.
Diana thought there could be no divorce but there was a divorce
The last woman publicly known as the Princess of Wales ended up dead. Kate only has as much power as William lets her have.
The monarch will always win. Kate is replaceable and history has shown this over and over again. The British people accept a lot if the PR is done properly.
Charles does still have a fair amount of control if he chooses to exercise it. His mother had a lot of control over his life, including ordering him to divorce. Charles could say that the Wales’ children aren’t on the balcony anymore. Charles can order William to attend a state funeral when he might prefer to go to a football match. Charles can say that Kate CAN’T attend state events. and so on. And where charles fails, the actual government can step in. I can’t see the UK being happy with a king who wants to zoom for his PM meetings.
But the point of the above is that its all dependent on Charles choosing to exercise that control. And he seems to throw up his hands a lot in disgust/despair over the Waleses but that’s about it. I think he is disgusted and appalled by their laziness but wont do anything about it.
But again lol, Charles does have the power of information. And he knows a lot about W&K and their marriage. 🤷♀️
Isn’t it rather sad that “one of the biggest days of the year in the royal calendar” is just a horse race and fashion parade?
Yes.