People Magazine has a second cover and cover story this week, all about the Princess of Wales: “Kate’s Turning Point: Reclaiming Her Confidence After ‘Staring Down the Abyss’.” Judging solely from the cover line, you know this is going to be the keenest, most overwrought nonsense ever. Kate is just three weeks away from her 44th birthday, but instead of making her sound like a mature woman with a lot on her plate, it’s more infantilizing bullsh-t about how no one has ever gone through this kind of ordeal before. It’s also a variation on an old royalist standard – in the olden days, around Kate’s birthday, the press would run “the state of Kate” pieces in which she looked to the year ahead and made promises to be keen (eventually). Fifteen years of broken keen promises later, they’re just leaning into lying about who Kate is and what she’s all about. Some highlights from the cover story:
Kate wore Queen Victoria’s 172-year-old Oriental Circlet tiara to the German state banquet: “It’s magnificent, historic and significant,” says Sally Bedell Smith. As Princess Kate reaches the end of the year marked by recovery and a gradual reclaiming of her role and confidence, the symbolism was unmistakable. “She looks like our idea of a future Queen,” royal biographer Catherine Mayer says in this week’s issue of PEOPLE.
The keen diplomats: “They are becoming the face of state visits. They are taking on a leadership role,” says royal historian Amanda Foreman. Adds Mayer: “William and Kate are showcased as being not just the future of the monarchy but its absolute heart.”
A year in review: This defining year began with Kate’s Jan. 14 announcement of her remission from an undisclosed form of cancer and continued with a measured return to public life. She resumed elements of her early-childhood advocacy work while taking restorative breaks with her children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — including a long summer to rebuild her strength and an autumn move to an eight-bedroom home, Forest Lodge in Windsor, where the family now intend to remain even after William becomes King.
The abyss of obfuscation: Kate’s gradual reemergence [this year] follows not only the intrusive scrutiny of her own diagnosis but the grueling treatment itself — and the fortitude it took to come through it. “This is someone who stared down the abyss,” Foreman says. By the time she shared the news of her cancer diagnosis publicly in March 2024 — after preparing her children — she had weathered weeks of speculation and online conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and well-being. “She didn’t just face a life- threatening illness — the global Internet went after her,” Foreman adds. “It was a character assassination.”
The stoic princess: Through it all, Kate has revealed just enough of herself to reassure the public while deliberately keeping her most private emotions protected — a boundary she maintains with care. “She has that steeliness and that tremendous charm and that smile,” Foreman tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “It’s the combination of a willingness to show vulnerability but at the same time not being vulnerable.”
The unglamorous Early Years: “Early-childhood development is not glamorous. It’s quiet and privately done, and the lack of resources doesn’t get a lot of attention,” Harvard University’s Professor Robert Waldinger, who cowrote an essay with Kate, tells PEOPLE. “What she’s doing by lending her voice to this is huge. Bringing in business leaders who can make a difference is an incredible way to use the platform she has.”
The Wales marriage: Those close to the couple say Kate and William have emerged more connected than ever. After more than 20 years together, they’ve shown unmistakable shifts in their dynamic — gentle touches, shared smiles, hands resting at each other’s backs. “What they have been through over the last few years has been so terrible,” Foreman says. “That either drives couples apart, or, in their case, it brings them together. It irons out the kinks and enables them to see each other clearly.”
Christmas plans: As they prepare for Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham, notable absences loom. Despite Prince Harry reuniting with his father Charles in September, the estrangement between the brothers remains. And William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — renamed after Charles moved to strip his royal titles over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein) — remains on the periphery. “[That move] was as much from William, and William and Kate are not seen as separate in terms of their decision-making,” says Mayer.
What 2026 will bring: There is also hope that 2026 will see William and Kate return to the global stage for their first overseas joint visit since before Kate’s illness, with an invitation to Australia already extended and speculation about a potential U.S. trip on the horizon. “Now that she has begun to turn a corner, they will be deploying her as much as they can,” says Bedell Smith. “It’s important for them to be at the center of the action.”
Kate’s steadier rhythm. “She is in this confident phase where she is able to define who she is, what she does and how much she does,” says Mayer. “In that sense, she’s approaching her prime.”
“The global Internet went after her. It was a character assassination.” F–king spare me. The majority of the 2024 speculation was out of concern for Kate’s welfare. Even the manipulated Mother’s Day photo wasn’t character assassination – the palace genuinely released a questionable photo, refused to clarify and received kill orders from every photo agency. It’s also not character assassination to say “wow, Kensington Palace is staffed with clowns who couldn’t crisis-manage their way out of a wet paper bag.”
What else? Kate’s not taking a leadership role to any degree, nor does she share her husband’s obsession with being called a global statesman. Try as they might to pressure Kate into agreeing to travel internationally for work in 2026, I feel pretty confident that Kate will find some reason why she’s not well enough to go to Australia or anywhere other than the US. She can preen in front of Trump again, that will give her something to look forward to.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace. Cover courtesy of People.
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- The Princess of Wales view exhibits from the Royal Collection in the Green Drawing room at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of the state visit to the UK by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. Picture date: Wednesday December 3, 2025.,Image: 1056256321, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (front) the Prince and Princess of Wales ahead the state banquet for the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of their state visit to the UK. Picture date: Wednesday December 3, 2025.,Image: 1056321830, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales and Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive to attend a State Banquet at Windsor Castle in Windsor, on December 3, 2025, the first day of a three day state visit by the German President. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received a ceremonial welcome to Britain Wednesday as his state visit got into full swing — the first by Germany’s official head of state in 27 years.,Image: 1056322236, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CARLOS JASSO/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles III, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales toast their glasses after the King delivered a speech during a State Banquet at Windsor Castle in Windsor, on December 3, 2025, the first day of a three day state visit by the German President. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received a ceremonial welcome to Britain Wednesday as his state visit got into full swing — the first by Germany’s official head of state in 27 years.,Image: 1056322311, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CARLOS JASSO/Avalon
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at the Royal Variety Performance 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall in London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 19 Nov 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- The Princess of Wales arriving for the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 19 Nov 2025 Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales pose for a photo with the Paddington Bear from the London stage musical, at the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 19 Nov 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Change the name already from people to the Cathy weekly. Trying to make keen happen
The professor probably wrote the letter. Keen might have contributed a sentence that early years are important. Keen is as lazy as ever
And Never mind the learning centre for nature they have taken from the children. Two things that we have been told that are important to Kate
Waiting for Godot: a play in two halves where much is anticipated but nothing actually happens twice. I feel the same way about advertising that the year ahead is actually one in which Kate is effective in her role as senior royal.
Ha! Yeah waiting for Godot works.
I’m going to flat out say it. I don’t think she ever had cancer. It was probably some other medical or mental health issue that they are desperate to cover up. And an excuse to get out of any work requirements for as long as they can milk it.
Thanks, Snuffles, I’m right there with you. Words have been carefully used by spokespeople and the press/public has extrapolated and drawn conclusions that haven’t been corrected.
A year and a half ago I would not have agreed with you. But I’m coming around to the theory. It seems clear at this point that someone decided to use the C word as a way for her to avoid work and criticism for the rest of her married life.
One theory i have had is that she did have something questionable – maybe she needed a biopsy, maybe there was a suspicious mole that was removed – something that gave a smidge of credibility to the cancer story and then KP just ran with that.
her behavior over the past two years is more consistent with other issues, not “cancer cells being present” and “preventative chemo” that ended in less than 6 months.
She said “cancer cells had been present” and then the press did their job and turned it into a grueling cancer battle. The public was shamed into not questioning anything else because cancer, with no follow up on some of the dicey things coming out of KP. If it was anyone else, like Meghan for instance, there is no way anybody would believe the story that Kate gave. They would have done a full on investigation if Meghan even brought preventative chemo or spending hours in the sun while undergoing “treatment”. They would found out what hospital she went to for “major abdominal surgery” and straight just leaked her records.
Neither abdominal surgery nor a cancer diagnosis explains why kate went to extreme efforts to hide her face for several months. Everyone else who goes to the hospital leaves with a brief wave from the car to the crowd. Kate did not. Then we have Kate in the car with Carole and that photo gets banned from UK media. And we have the bizarre blurry video farm walk and the kill order family photo. All this nonsense before the bench video which is why I think that the c word “cells had been present” was decided at a crisis management meeting to shut down the whispers as best they could. The video where she was running around in the meadows saying she was cancer free was also a sign that none of this was properly done.
Kate and her team lied to the public and there was pushback. This was self induced because in January when the surgery was announced she was getting all the sympathy in the world.
And it’s just a fraction of the hate and threats Meghan experiences online to this day which was fuelled by the fake crying story she set up years ago and refuses to correct.
MAGA princess is playing the victim just like the GOP who get called out on their lies.
There is no way she could have faked cancer and not have it leak. Camilla has Piers Morgan on speed dial. Given the fact the she has clearly lost her hair and looks like she has one foot in the grave, I don’t think she is in remission.
@Mac that is the only thing that gives me pause about this. I think it would have leaked and i don’t think Charles and Camilla would have participated in a coverup like this -UNLESS the truth is worse than the coverup.
At the end of the day, Charles and even Camilla are monarchists who want to protect the crown and the crown’s image. IF a lie of that magnitude was told to the public, I don’t know that they would want that leaked or exposed.
Count me in the people who never believed she had the C word..and the ultimate proof: her husband’s attitude, his indifference as well as his resentment towards her. And as far as leaking her real diagnosis by Camilla, I doubt she’d do anything like that because she wouldn’t jeopardy the monarchy and Charles’s reign, no matter what..and she definitely wouldn’t want people to remember the last princess of Wales who suffered from ED and her role in all that.
In the best of lies there is always a grain of truth. So the “cancer was present in cells” that were removed is the truth. And there was chemo but likely taken as pills. But the rest is up for grabs.
What if the truth is that William harmed Kate to such a degree that she had to hide her face for months while restorative surgery was taking place? That would sure be something Charles and Camilla would not make public.
I’m with you on that, I don’t believe she had cancer either. Which if it’s true she used a cancer diagnosis to not work and garner sympathy that truly is just disgusting.
I don’t believe she ever had cancer either. I agree with the above commenter. I don’t believe Camilla and Charles would necessary leak if Kensington Palace/Kate in fact lied. They are all about preserving the monarchy. The revelation that Kensington Palace and Kate lied about cancer would be very damaging not only to her but a lot of others including the future king. I think the truth is more damaging than leaking about the cancer lie. My theory is Kate either had a mental breakdown, was physically assaulted by Will, or attempted to un-alive herself.
I never believed her. I watched her announcement video and called her a liar.
Maybe Charles and Camilla don’t know what’s going on? Around the time Kate “went missing” it was said that even their own staff didn’t know what was happening. It’s clear W&K don’t keep Charles up to date on what they’re doing or their schedules. W&K are very secretive and have taken many steps to isolate themselves from everyone.
@Mac Kate doesn’t look any different from what she always did. In fact, her first trooping back people commented on her looking better than she ever has before. She did not lose her hair and even told a cancer patient at Royal Marsden as much. She’s very thin, but she’s been steadily losing weight since her engagement, with her pregnancies being the exception. I believe cancer cells were present, as she said and I think she had other health issues but I don’t think the story assumed is what’s happening.
My personal opinion is that the precancerous cells would have been embarrassing for Scooter.
She may have “stared down an abyss” but I believe the abyss has a name and I don’t for one minute believe it was cancer. So we are going to be fed more lies about this for the rest of her life. Yes Kaiser you are absolutely right there are more people out there including in these comment sections who have been dealing with real cancer and still living their lives and going to work and raising their families . I for one am tired of them beating this dead horse. She is lazy and doesn’t want to do the job she married in for and that’s what the taxpayers of the UK are stuck with for who knows how long,
But be patient as she’s still “listening and learning”!
The abyss is the future king.
This woman will be 60 years old, and they’ll still be writing about how she’s making small steps in progress and gaining confidence. She’s also manages to be someone that requires understanding because it takes her years to return to work, but months to return to skiing after an illness.
It’s interesting to see though how the ” platinum standard” royal operations and communications teams are not at fault for the cluster that was January to June of 2024, but the world assassinating her character? Which I don’t get, because yeah there were a few people that were joking around, but most of the chatter was centered around how it’s bizarre to disappear for months on end.
She won’t travel, because she’s lazy and also because she enjoys being a big fish in a small pond. The British press and American soft media that has British editors treat this middle aged woman with kid gloves. She doesn’t want to go anywhere or do anything, or be associated with anyone that would require her to actually be the dynamo that they write about.
She sure was not charming to Meghan and the Sussex children. Harry gave keen the cold shoulder. St keen did not go to the media to deny the fake crying story and in front of cameras took a threatening step towards Meghan. Mrs scooter and mr scooter took public park property in a land grab
There was a look of terror in Meghan’s eyes on that photo of the four of them, when Cathy took a threatening step towards her.The look on Harry’s face was sheer horror, it was plainly seen he was protecting his wife from the deranged woman that was married to his brother.
They put out a fake photo. And got called out. By professional photo agencies. That’s on them. There’s no martyrdom in that.
The embiggening.
The front facing role she is playing during state visits seems to be that of an Uber driver.
The rest? Spare me. And oh the nerve of her “staring down the abyss” when her father in law is still staring down that abyss and “working” more than her. I’m going to sit back and wait for C&C to strike back. Their little PR war is the only thing interesting about them these days.
This!
I cannot get past how awful she looks in public now. Not a vibrant 44 at all. Her clothes and her hair and her tiara wear her.. she does not inhabit them !
Much like her approach to her life.
people were concerned about her wellbeing and she saw that as everyone going “after her”? that’s odd but I guess it’s not when you have something to hide.
That part. It comes across as I’m resentful that you were drawing attention to stuff I didn’t want attention drawn to.
🎯
She looks and sounds a mess and gets admired for it. Being a mediocre rich lady sure is a grift if you can fall into it.
omg a few weeks ago we were talking about the annual embiggening campaigns and how it seemed we werent going to get one this year thankfully. SPOKE TOO SOON.
I’m Kate’s age. I’ve been in my job two years longer than her (started in 2009.) If my boss wrote a performance review about how it seems there’s a chance I might be finally approaching my prime…..I wouldn’t take that as a good thing. She should be an expert at her role by now.
And the rest is just so disgustingly over the top. There was no character assassination. there were lies and coverups from KP (the twigs in the car?? The car photo they refused to let the British press release? the other car photo with Kate’s head turned away? the completely doctored mother’s day photo? the suspicious farmer’s market video??) AGAIN we can look at Charles’ camp who handled the same situation with a lot more transparency while still maintaining his privacy and there was no uproar or conspiracy theories.
and GMAFB – her “restorative breaks” with her children and a “long summer” to rebuild her strength? Just tell us she vacations all the time.
This coverage is so frustrating in 2025 for two reasons – we’ve seen some version of this for 15 years and nothing changes – and do we really need another article praising a mediocre racist white woman for existing??
Kate wouldn’t last a second in Meghan’s shoes, she is a weak coward. People genuinely wondering where you are isn’t “character assassination, calling someone a bully, being racist towards them, etc, IS character assassination. Once Kate appeared the stories stopped, but they haven’t stopped on Meghan. Kate is always handled with kid gloves. Will People magazine do a cover story on Kate getting dressed by herself like a big girl next?
We fully did not know if she was alive or well for early 2024 but, sure, we went after her.
WanK will never achieve the height organic public interest they wasted when “Where’s Kate” happened. That will never happen again. They actively alienated casual interest. WanK told everyone to leave them alone -and were belligerent in it.
Fine. You got what you asked for.
They really need to move off of picking this scab over and over. After the ‘Happy Families’ video they should have stopped referencing ’her cancer battle’. I hope in 2026 they accept the fact that the BRF has returned to ‘pre Diana’ levels of interest and gets on with bread and butter engagements instead of vacationing half the year away.
The “abyss” was the only thing interesting about her. Otherwise she’s just an ordinary person doing ordinary things, despite her extraordinary position.
For the most part I’m here for the terrible fashion, which is fascinating to me because Kate has so many resources at her disposal and seems to care about how she is perceived in that regard. It’s such a disconnect that I can only conclude that she is and always has been a thoroughly mediocre person. Reading the fawning quotes above you’d think she was some kind of sainted figure and as a rational person I’m trying to understand why anyone feels the need to fluff her up in this extraordinary manner. At the end of the day she’s always going to be a boring normie who is only interesting to people because she married a future King. Why try to make her into something she’s obviously not? Worst case scenario she becomes Queen and continues being the dull do-nothing she’s always been. What then? Decades of stories like these to look forward to where they continue to have to prop her up as an interesting person worthy of admiration? Or, is she their only distraction from the larger picture, i.e. a useless family of prats who are sucking up millions from ordinary British taxpayers just because they claim to have a superior bloodline?
“They are becoming the face of state visits. They are taking on a leadership role,” says royal historian Amanda Foreman.
Yes, they always put the “face of state visits” and the leaders outside of the tent when taking photos!
Which is exactly why Kate needs a professional team to assist her hair and wardrobe. The red Zorro leg flashing, a Dior outfit and hair that made her look like she should be holding a balloon or an oversized lollipop, the artless way her tiaras are plunked on her head reflects upon the country, badly.
William has been missing in action as Prince of Wales with no reason why that should be. The most ‘real’ we saw WanK this year was his day drinking and her ‘frail recovery’ skiing and those were unauthorized photos.
If their job is a leadership role, even as ornamental greeters, they both have to bring some professionalism to the task. Look the part and study the notes and prompts of what’s happening in these events seriously so they can interact as the statespeople they insist they are.
They’re the face of the airport run! And the standing outside the tent for official photos will never not make me laugh!
Same! It’s hysterical.
These articles just seem to make Kate look bad because it’s the opposite of reality. She is not a special person in her own right. I think she’s a good mother and she is relatively good looking but that’s about all and that’s ok. Let’s not pretend she’s something she’s not because it really just makes her look bad. It’s also ridiculous to talk about her illness and say “now that she has turned a corner”. Having just read the article about Harry playing polo in the snow, it reminded me of the photos of Kate skiing. For those of you who haven’t snow skied and think it looks easy it’s NOT. It’s very physically demanding. There’s a reason people like to soak in a hot tub after skiing. If she can snow ski then she’s in great physical condition.
I don’t think that her husband wants her to travel with him. I also think that it bothers her that she’s not respected like Meghan and Diana. She wants to be put on a pedestal without having to work which is why she only shows up for pictures and not to work. I think her husband goes along with her lies until it makes him look bad and then she takes the fall.
Are the “bold moves” she’s making in the room with us right now? Because it looks like she and Willy are back to their usual tricks of not working/taking vacations on the taxpayers’ dime and having their mouthpieces make up fairytales about how they’re just working.so.hard.all.the.time.
These boulevardscribblers have lost so many readers again this year. Just let them sink into their swamp of untruths, hatred, malice, schadenfreude and smear campaigns. Anyone who still reads them and believes them deserves nothing more than to sink into projections, fantasies and a loss of reality themselves. No one has to read them. Just don’t go there. These newspapers will destroy themselves. The world is much smarter than these people think. The world has seen who is being persecuted to the point of bloodshed, the world has seen the dignity and resilience of the Sussexes. If you want to believe the lies about the Sussexes… go ahead. The world knows better.
It is fascinating that she is still infantilized after accomplishing nothing of note in 15 years except being a skeletal clothes hanger who popped out 3 kids. I agree with other commentators who believe the “cancer” diagnosis was spin to cover a mental health or addiction crisis (and to give Baldimort an excuse to do f#ck all for a year when he should have been forced to step up because of his father’s cancer diagnosis). The Wails marriage has been in a free fall since Charlotte was born and Keen was visibly in an altered state at multiple events in the lead-up to KeENeR has cancer and has to vanish drama that was exacerbated by the Wails media incompetence. A free press would be screaming about their lack of work ethic, constant tax payer subsidized/billionaire backed vacations and most recent multi-million dollar land grab. They should never be mentioned without the North Korean/Russian media tactics they employ (bots, Frankenphoto, controlled state media) being screamed from the rafters. She has not been subjected to nearly as much scrutiny as Meghan/Harry have had to live through because the Wails have thrown them to the media/social media bots to cover their failed marriage, mental health/addiction issues, laziness and and complete ineptitude. It is sickening to see this lazy, terrible woman get such embiggening coverage when she absolutely hasn’t earned it and was gleefully responsible for so much of the nasty coverage that has dogged Meghan.
Oh, there we go again, ‘confident’ . She’s in a confident stage. 🙄 I should hope so. She’s a middle-aged married mother of three with the grandest title of them all (nearly)–Princess of Wales–and all the money in the world (or at least her home country) to sustain herself & her family. Damn well better be confident by now.