When the Princess of Wales went missing for several months in 2024, I realized something important about the state of the left-behind Windsors, and the state of Kate as well. While it’s true that Kate doesn’t do much and her work numbers have always been meager, if something happened to her, it really would be the end of the monarchy. To lose one Princess of Wales is a tragedy – to lose two princesses would be an extinction event for the institution. The institution seemed to come to that conclusion as well, eventually. They realized that the public needs to know that Kate is alive and the public needs to see Kate every so often, and so that was the arrangement that all parties agreed to. More than two years later, it feels like the institution is trying to renegotiate the terms and force Kate to do more, to be seen more often. This push comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have traveled to a dozen countries in the past five years, and after the Sussexes consistently outshine the left-behinds. So, Kate was sent to Italy, and now she’s being praised to the hilt. From People Magazine’s cover story:

The Italy trip represents a new chapter for Kate: “She knows the eyes of the world are on her,” Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “It is a clear signal she is back in business.”

Kate’s trip overshadowed the state opening of Parliament: “There’s no denying that everyone concerned has been missing the princess’s star quality. She is a huge draw wherever she goes,” says Russell Myers, author of William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story. “Catherine is undoubtedly a central force in the monarchy’s popularity and ability to achieve its goals and move forward. There is no better time for her to return.” Adds Anderson: “She is our future Queen. As Queen Elizabeth used to say, you have to be seen to be believed. She is glamorous, she is beautiful. She is warm and approachable. On the back of the King’s successful visit to the States, William and Kate are upping their game.”

Italians love Kate: Teachers wiped away tears after she left, as comparisons to Princess Diana surfaced repeatedly. “She is like Diana was,” says local reporter Paulo Rosato. “Here in Italy, we need a good story — a good representation of family.”

A throbbing wound in the background: Kate’s return comes at a delicate moment for the monarchy. While King Charles, 77, has helped steady the institution through his U.S. visit and high- profile appearances despite his ongoing cancer treatment, the royal family continues navigating the lingering fallout surrounding the former Prince Andrew’s arrest in February tied to his connection to Jeffrey Epstein, alongside the years-long rift with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. “It will always be a throbbing wound in the background,” says Anderson.

Threadbare monarchy: The slimmed-down monarchy is increasingly looking threadbare, with William, 43, and Kate remaining its youngest senior working royals, a stark reminder of how heavily the institution now relies on them to carry its future. All while George, Charlotte and Louis remain years away from public roles of their own. “Princess Anne and the other senior working royals are all stretched thin — and none of them are young,” says Catherine Mayer, author of the upcoming Divide and Rule. “William and Catherine carry the whole thing.”

Fragile monarchy: Mayer describes the back-to-back overseas appearances by Charles and Kate as “a one-two punch” by the palace. “At the point the King went to America, the main theme was the fragility of the monarchy — and the fragility of the two of them,” she says. “If you have the sense of them both fully back — doing it well — that shifts the perception.”

More travel: More trips abroad are expected to follow, including a possible appearance alongside William in the U.S. this summer for the World Cup and celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the nation’s independence, as well as at the sixth Earthshot Prize Awards in Mumbai later this year. If she attends, it would mark Kate’s first Earthshot ceremony since the couple traveled to Boston for the event in 2022. “She is an impeccable force for good, a fantastic standard- bearer—not just for the royal family but for the country,” says a family friend.

Steadying the ship: “For the moment, after that period of unprecedented turbulence, they are doing a very good job of making it look like the ship is steady,” says Mayer. “That is why Kate is so important.”

[From People]

As I said last week, the Italian trip was fine. Kate got a great reception, the photo-ops were solid, the palace clowns stayed on-message and Kate didn’t have any tricky agenda beyond “going outside and doing photo-ops.” Would the institution have preferred for Kate to visit a Commonwealth country? For sure. But they also know that Kate has to be treated delicately or else. That’s why the rest of the year will be interesting – my prediction is still that Kate will somehow get out of traveling to the US in July, but sure, she’ll probably go to India. I’m also curious to see if Kate makes it to all of the June and July events coming up in the UK, like Royal Ascot (she pulled out of Ascot at the last minute last year).

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of People.