The Princess of Wales has pulled out of attending Royal Ascot as she continues to find the right balance following the completion of her cancer treatment.
Kate Middleton is said to be disappointed to miss the famous social and sporting occasion in Berkshire with her husband and the King and Queen.
Racegoers had been hoping to see Kate as Prince William hands out prizes on the second day of the meet, after King Charles and Queen Camilla enjoyed the racing on Tuesday.
Ascot officials had announced at 12pm that the princess would join William in the second carriage of the royal procession in a published carriage list. But less than half an hour later, Kensington Palace confirmed just before 12.30pm that Kate would not be attending.
Royal Ascot is an important date in the royal calendar, with members of the family attending as part of the royal procession. The royal procession is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, having begun in 1825 during the reign of George IV, when the monarch was accompanied by the Duke of Wellington.
The princess’s absence follows a string of public engagements in recent days, including another highlight of the royal calendar, a service celebrating the Order of the Garter.
Kate, who missed last year’s event because she was being treated for cancer, watched the procession of Ladies and Knights of the Garter through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel on Monday.
The princess also joined her three children, Charlotte, George and Louis, for Trooping the Colour in London on Saturday to mark the King's official birthday.
It is understood she is trying to find the right balance as she fully returns to public engagements.
The princess revealed that her cancer had gone into remission earlier this year as she made a return to the public eye after a year of treatment, with a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she thanked the staff who provided her with “exceptional” care during her treatment.
In a message on social media, signed ‘C’, she said: “I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year.
“My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything.
She paid tribute to the “exceptional” care and advice she received during her diagnosis, saying she and William “couldn’t have asked for more”.
Kate said in a video last September that while she had finished her preventative chemotherapy, her path to healing would take time.
She said: "Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can."
While she was still receiving treatment, the King, who has also been undergoing treatment for cancer, said he was “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did” and has “remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks”, after they spent time in hospital together.
The King continues to undergo treatment for cancer having revealed his own shock diagnosis last January - at the same time it emerged Kate was in hospital after her abdominal surgery.
