For the record, I have no idea why so many royal commentators and reporters are playing fast and loose about the timeline of the Princess of Wales’ health and recovery. I suspect that they’re trying to argue that Kate stopped traveling for work because of her health crisis in early 2024, but she stopped traveling for work long before that, in 2022. So, here’s the actual timeline: she was missing for months at the start of 2024, then, in the summer of 2024, in her own words, Kate said her goal was “staying cancer free.” In January 2025, she said she was in remission. The only thing that happened one year ago is that Kate suddenly pulled out of Royal Ascot at the very last minute. The royal offices couldn’t even keep their stories straight about what Kate’s Ascot withdrawal meant or whether Kate’s health was still in bad shape. Since then, Kate has gone on multiple international vacations, taken all of last summer off, and disappeared for about a month around Easter this year. So, back to normal for her. When she’s not on vacation, she averages about one event a week. As I said, there’s a sudden influx of conversations about “Kate’s come so far in one year.” Speaking of:
When the Princess of Wales hosted a Buckingham Palace garden party in May last year, it was described as a ‘significant’ milestone on her road to recovery after cancer. It was Kate’s first official public engagement after finishing treatment and since then every new portrait, handshake and royal engagement has been ‘another step’ on her road to recovery. Exactly one year on, it’s sometimes easy to forget the trepidation her cancer diagnosis first sparked in 2024.
Kate, 44, radiated positivity and joy in a new family portrait as the future Queen let her hair down and enjoyed the sunshine with Prince William and her three children. This week, she launched a ‘pivotal’ new stage of her early years campaign during a solo outing in London after Kensington Palace revealed Kate is ‘looking forward’ to her first official overseas trip in more than three years when she travels to Italy next week.
But fans should not misread this flurry of activity as a sign of normalcy, according to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.
‘The future will look very different,’ he told the Daily Mail, adding that Kate’s ‘life-changing’ cancer journey will see her priorities tilt in favour of family, while her engagements will be of a ‘less stressful’ nature.
‘Her life’s work is in early childhood, and she was working on this as soon as she was able,’ said Mr Fitzwilliams. ‘Yet after her devastating experience there has clearly been a fundamental change.’
He explained that while William and Kate have always prioritised their family and the needs of George, Charlotte and Louis, the princess’s health battle has heightened her sense of duty first and foremost to her children.
Over the last year, the Waleses vacated Adelaide Cottage and moved into the far more private Forest Lodge, a Georgian mansion located on the grounds of Windsor Great Park. Not only is the secluded Forest Lodge, complete with eight bedrooms and six bathrooms, double the size of Adelaide Cottage, but it also gives the family room for a ‘fresh start’ after Kate’s illness.
Mr Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that ‘William and Catherine prioritise the school run and they both also attend school activities with all their children’ while charting a ‘path back to normality’.
On the other hand, she skipped last year’s edition of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize in Rio de Janeiro, with royal expert Ingrid Seaward telling the Daily Express: ‘I think Kate has to wrap some semblance of normality around [George, Charlotte and Louis], because she knows what [royal life] can do. She’s seen it; she’s been around long enough…but they’re not normal children, and I think it’s extremely hard to keep their little feet on the ground.’
Kate also pulled out of Royal Ascot last year in a sign of her ‘continuing to prioritise her recovery’, according to Mr Fitzwilliams.
“…Her engagements will be of a ‘less stressful’ nature…” They act like she was coal-mining six days a week before her 2024 disappearance. She wasn’t working on a nuclear submarine, for goodness sake! Her engagements have never been stressful. Every so often, she’ll go on a boat or hike during an event, and guess what, she’s back to doing those things too. I’ve always been so irritated by how Kate is coddled and infantilized, and it’s been happening for fifteen years – like a woman in her 30s or 40s can’t ever be expected to work a few times a week.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Catherine – Princess of Wales arrives for an Easter Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, London, England, UK on Sunday 5 April, 2026.,Image: 1088789901, 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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- Catherine – The Princess of Wales attends an ANZAC Day service at Westminster Abbey, London, England, UK on Saturday 25 April, 2026.,Image: 1094246075, 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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- Royals attending the Easter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 05 Apr 2026 Credit: Mischa Schoemaker/ **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Members of the British royal family during a reception at Buckingham Palace in London, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth Featuring: The Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Apr 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Members of the British royal family during a reception at Buckingham Palace in London, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth Featuring: The Prince and Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Apr 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Members of the British royal family during a reception at Buckingham Palace in London, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth Featuring: The Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Apr 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales attends a wreath laying ceremony and parade commemorating Anzac Day at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, central London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 25 Apr 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Princess of Wales meets guests during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London, to celebrate frontline workers from across the United Kingdom and recognise the dedication and contribution of those who serve their communities through volunteering, supporting charitable causes and working for emergency services Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 May 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London, to celebrate frontline workers from across the United Kingdom and recognise the dedication and contribution of those who serve their communities through volunteering, supporting charitable causes and working for emergency services Featuring: Prince William, Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 May 2026 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
“Less stressful “? Are you kidding me? She does photo ops and jazz hands and spends very little time at “events”! How are they going to be less stressful? My god the bar is so low it’s at the center of the earth!
gurl is actually saying it’s too hard to do relevant things. gurl doesnt want to do early years, too much follow up and she’s failing every initiative. gurl just wants to dress up nice, look good, state dinners with tiaras, ribbon cuts, wimbledon, chelsea flower shows, garden parties and rubbing against trees. the serious stuff is too serious and need competence: leave it to serious competent people
She’s squeezed out three heirs. Her job is pretty much done.
Actually, no. She’s not required to have children. See Fabiola of Belgium.
In the current crop of royal women, all the rest of them 1) had children and 2) work their jobs. It is only this woman, who has never worked a real job in her life, who is so coddled.
For Kate’s appearances to be less stressful, she can’t have a pulse. Her heart rate has to be zero.
They should be made to say why. Or maybe this is the news saying all they can say. As far as the movie A Quiet Place, I just haven’t been able to watch even the first one. Don’t doubt that it is a good movie, nor do I doubt that it is stressful.
All signs point to a breakdown over those “recovery” time, the kind where you’re an inpatient. She is being handled with more than just kid gloves. This is beyond over the top behavior.
You know what? I find this absolutely disgusting. So many millions of people truly suffering from painful, life-threatening conditions, trying to live day to day, survive, buy food, etc. Shut UP, Catherine. Enough. Be gone.
It is so out of touch. Very Marie Antoinette of her.
Stressful is having to work for a living while undergoing cancer treatment. Stressful is having to work for a living while caring for someone undergoing cancer treatment. Stressful is having to work for a living when a family member has a massive stroke while another is undergoing cancer treatment.
What’s Katiekins’ stressors, exactly? A husband who can’t stand her, OK, there’s that. What else?
Well said.
She surely must be the most coddled and pampered woman on this planet.This is a lifelong thing for her, even before she married William she was indulged and spoilt by her over protective parents.She was and still is their very precious darling.
A 44 year old woman still being treat like a child.
I do not think for one moment William is happy with her, but she will stay married to him as she wants to be Queen, she and her parents have spent yeas hoping for this .
So being diagnosed with cancer wasn’t life threatening? Some people have long term consequences from cancer and chemo, including butnoimiyes to mental health. As we don’t know what type of cancer it was, we don’t know that it has gone away forever, it might be the kind that comes back.
Apparently she’ll get the vapors and have to retire to her chaise if she works more than an hour a week. Bad for her hysterical constitution I imagine. I don’t understand how they can write this stuff with a straight face, to be read by people who are on the train or bus heading to their jobs where they might be working 12 hour days for wages that haven’t been increased in years.
They’re really just trying to explain away why she doesn’t work at all, but the excuses were already thin and they’re even thinner now. Solely because of their own press briefings. They had to release that video and to say she has stopped treatment, to compete with Harry coming to the UK for well child. She had to compete with With Love, Meghan coming out, so she ran to the hospital to tell everyone that she was in remission, now people expect you to work.
I keep saying this, but this is not sustainable. None of it is. The increasingly ridiculous explanations for why they don’t travel or work, and need the full holiday off when their kids are in school. Williams temper. Their need to keep moving homes, even though they have a perfectly happy marriage. They are not going to be able to keep up this fiction for another generation, they won’t even be able to keep this fiction up until their kids can serve as useful distractions.
Not sure what to say. Kate has always prioritized herself and never felt any “duty” to her work obligations as a supposedly working royal. And that “school run” has been doing heavy lifting for YEARS. Are we talking about 45 minutes each morning? And then she’s done? Kate is not good with people or comfortable with them and doesn’t seem to like people. That’s why her appearances are always stressful to her. Plus the laziness.
I do think she is incapable of substantive, stressful work — she would crack like an egg if she had to endure what most employed moms have to handle: packed schedules, juggling work responsibilities with family responsibilities without paid help, household bills, etc.
Interesting, though, that the rota keeps reminding people that Kate can’t handle even a little bit of stress. They sell it as her making the best choices for her precious family, but ordinary women who have to make genuinely tough choices aren’t buying it.
This is just pathetic of the BRF. Kate’s engagements have never been stressful. They need to find a different narrative because this one says the quiet part out loud: That Kate’s basically useless in substantial issues.
I’m going to my supervisor and telling her because I wish to remain “cancer free” (coming up on 2 years in remission 🥳) that I can only work an hour or two a week but I am entitled to the same pay and benefits.
It should go over well, right?
Congratulations on making it to 2 years!!!
My boss is currently going through chemo and radiation for lung cancer. His third bout of cancer. He’s still comes to the gallery at least 2- 3 days a week and gets some work done. My husband had a lobe of lung removed and was back at his blacksmithing job six weeks later. This b.s. is so insulting to real working people with real life threatening conditions. I do not understand why she gets a pass while living on the publics money. It’s infuriating.
They treat her like she is spun-glass fragile. Pity WOC or even just POC don’t get treated with the same sort of grace. Or even the same sort of centering. White fragility. And the stories that get told are predominantly white stories. Even celebrity gossip is predominantly about white celebs. So no surprise then that they get more grace. I’m tired.
Keen said she was better last year and was able to go on a skiing trip where she actually did intense skiing. Not on the ‘bunny slopes’. I don’t feel sorry for her. There are people who put their kids first but need to bring money in for their childrens’ future. They can get sick and have to struggle for insurance to cover hospital stays and needed medication. The Wails never have to worry about that. And Keen has her mother and Nanny Maria to help out. Keen is so patronizing saying oh we put our children first (virtue signaling). Families who have to earn a living and save for their kids’ future put their kids first. big time.
The putting children first spin is a farce. They are just lazy. Unlike most of the population, the keens don’t have to worry about saving up for the kids’ future. Plus if one of the parents get sick, they have to fight for insurance coverage so they can afford hospital stays and medicine needed. The whining of the Keens is tiresome.
It’s also a farce because we aren’t talking about children who aren’t in school for 8 hours a day five days a week. There is no reason that they can’t work while their children are in school and there’s two parents so even if their children aren’t in school 40 hours a week, there is no reason why they can’t alternate working while the other parent cares for the children who have grandparents and a nanny down the street. This is all lies and a farce to allow this couple to be the least productive royals every single year for 15 years. Even when Harry and Meghan were there, even if their engagement numbers were less than these two, the quality and impact always outshined these two lazy people.
The only excuse that I think would be plausible for Kate not working is because she’s had a nervous breakdown or has mental health issues, but they can’t write about that. Ironically, mental health is one of WanK’s causes. Ironically, two people championing mental health awareness have extreme mental health issues themselves. Mind you, neither of them were any good at supporting philanthropic causes, and coupled with laziness, you end up with the current Wales team: expensive, pretty useless because they can’t be effective, and self-indulgent.
BTW, the third person who had mental health issues got help and therapy, and consequently became a believable and effective champion of mental health, and has actually helped many people.
I had aggressive breast cancer aged 40. I was so lucky that I could take 5 months off work paid for chemo and surgery, but was back at work full time during radiotherapy. I’ve been back like that for two years, working alongside three volunteer roles and general life stuff. I completely understand that for some people the ongoing impact of the cancer treatment can be devastating and limiting, as can the mental health effects. But I just can’t see it with Kate, the only side effect is laziness and a failing marriage. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
I admire your strength and resolve in enduring cancer treatment, and I hope you remain cancer-free.
You’re spot on here. Keen doesn’t have some sort of special, royals-only sickness. Charles keeps moving forward with cancer, and it’s what keeps him a bit relatable.
She picked the wrong spin for whatever is wrong with her.
So the issue is that either there is some other reason besides “cancer” that keeps Kate from working, or she’s lazy. and my guess is that its the latter. We know what her work numbers were like before cancer and what they’re like now. She is working less definitely but it wasn’t like she was setting the CC on fire before either.
Is this something that was agreed to back in 2024 – that she wouldn’t be forced to work? Is it something William agreed to (its not like he likes to work either?) or is she just doing what she wants because who is going to tell her otherwise?
What I do think is that we’ve gotten a lot of stories recently over how W&K can’t work more because of the children and the school run – it sounds very defensive. So they are well aware of the criticism over their schedules – not enough to actually work more, they just think people should shut up about it.
She has been and will always be lazy. But she also looks bad and actually worse than when she returned from the missing months.
The press know about the eating disorder and related mental breakdowns because of William but they are still trying to spin the cancer scare as the reason. It’s a dumb strategy when Charles is out there working five times as much, not cancer free and an extra 30 some years older.
I think the Middletons thought whatever renegotiation they did in 2024 would provide cover for everything but they forgot about the public who isn’t buying the rota propaganda.
Many members of the general public get cancer, will have far less time off or help and work much more than her. It was quite dumb of them to leverage this into a reason to be lazy without end.
I was so relieved to learn that her engagements are now going to be “of a less stressful nature.” I have been so worried about her hauling her ass to church a couple of times a year or visiting a busy shopping mall where she might be forced to interact with the proletariat once in a while. Give the woman a break! It’s a jungle out there. I just returned from weekly grocery shopping. That might have killed the poor little snowflake.
Agreed 💯@Becks1 obviously the successful visits of Oz and US have triggered questions about why PoWs aren’t undertaking Foreign Tours. Also the glaring contrast between the older couple who kept calm and carried on throughout KC having cancer treatment for two years and PoW reaction to Kate’s health problems. Kate may still have good and bad days for medical reasons and the need to avoid anything stressful is revealing. Not sure why Will is on a light schedule that started ten years ago before any family member became ill? He’s fit and young. Any employed adult with children reading this blog will be baffled by the notion that to be the best parent you can’t work full time or even regularly and that somehow doing the school run means you can’t work in-between!? It is defensive and ludicrous. Both parents don’t work during the five months their privately educated children enjoy lengthy school holidays. Then during the seven months they are available they work maybe a two day week? No major joint foreign tours: she hasn’t travelled abroad for work since 2023. He regularly refuses foreign office requests to work trips abroad. Decade of work statistics show consistent trend of low output. Ten years time Louis is at university. Will they be full time then when no doubt they’ll be on the throne?
And when the hell were they ever stressful?
That’s what I don’t get, what’s she been stressing about? She doesn’t have to arrange anything, contact anyone, drive, provide food & drink, present (OK, she does this, but rarely & I don’t believe for one second she writes anything she reads), meet annual targets, meet with her boss once a week, meet with her employees once a week, sit for a performance review with her boss, conduct performance reviews with her staff, facilitate a meeting where everyone in the room is mad at you, so, what’s so stressful? Walking out of the house with brown suede shoes when you’re wearing a white hat & dress with black accents?
She hates the job, that’s clear. And to say she’s radiant um… Anyone with eyes can see she is very unwell, like 2023 vibes.
Just as an aside, Kate in Diana’s sapphire earrings has always p’d me off. They are too good for her and a constant reminder of copy-cat-Kate.
Kate wearing any jewellery which once belonged to Diana disgusts me.She is not and never will be anything better than Diana.
Likewise trying to be like the late Queen.She was strutting about wearing the Queen Elizabeth’s jewellery before she was cold in her grave.I do not think she has any conscience whatsoever.Imagine what would have been said if that was Meghan doing that?
Disgusting is a good choice to describe her. I hope one day she can see herself as we see her, although I still doubt she would change.
The Press has been playing this tune for ages. Poor wee Cathy’s stressful life. Actually, I can believe her life is stressful, but not because she works.
Something is being covered up. As well as her being bone idle.
I agree. After all, it’s pretty obvious that she’s struggling during engagements: she’s struggling to function, to talk, to communicate, to say a coherent phrase, to write (remember Australia?), sometimes, even to dress or follow simple hygiene rules…they are definitely covering something..something big which could destroy William’s image of a perfect family man….
Is that a Vag on her throat
The stress is William, and he’s why she has physically shrunk. The eating disorder, anxiety, whatever…it’s the toxic husband that’s she refuses to leave because that title is worth more than her health and peace of mind.
We all see this and especially the Uk media who know even more than we can deduce.
Kate wouldn’t survive a week in my shoes.
I feel like the Daily Mail is writing these articles as rage bait, because when you look in the comments section, the most upvoted comments are the ones calling her lazy. They are doing it on purpose to encourage their readers to think ‘Hang on… normal people get cancer and go back to work’.