The Princess of Wales has been front and centre in 2025. And following her extended leave of absence to focus on her cancer recovery, she confirmed that she was in remission earlier this year.
"It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focussed on recovery," the Princess of Wales announced in a rare health update at the time. "As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead."
In the months since, Princess Kate has returned to duty in a big way, taking part in numerous royal engagements, including Trooping the Colour and the Order of the Garter just this week.
However, the mother of three was noticeably absent from Royal Ascot, with the Princess of Wales cancelling her planned appearance at the horse races, the morning of the event.
And while experts explained at the time that Princess Kate's absence was "no cause for alarm", a former royal staff member has since suggested that she may now be temporarily "scaling back duties".
"Kate is recalibrating her entire life, her entire work-life balance," a former royal staff member reportedly told the Daily Beast. "Wednesday was a wake-up call, not a one-off.
"She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with," the source continued. "And it was just too much this week."
According to the publication, the royal sources "expected Kate to dramatically scale back her public appearances for the rest of the year", focusing instead on her "online and digital footprint, remotely supporting causes close to her heart."
"Kate will take it much easier for the rest of the year," another source reportedly alleged to the Daily Beast. "I'd be surprised if you see her more than three times in the next three months."
We will continue to update this story.
