Catherine, the Princess of Wales, has shocked fans with the news that she’ll be missing Royal Ascot this week, pulling out of the event at the last minute.
Prince William will be in attendance, but that will do little to soothe fans of Kate Middleton’s racecourse fashion, who have gone two long years without a fresh Princess of Wales Royal Ascot look to pore over.
For good reason, though. The Princess of Wales was absent from last year’s event due to her cancer treatment. She finished her course of preventative chemotherapy in September 2024 and officially declared herself “cancer free”.
Having made a handful of public appearances recently, at events such as Trooping the Colour in celebration of King Charles III’s birthday, fans may have hoped a Royal Ascot appearance was all but guaranteed.
But the Princess confirmed today she will not be attending, with sources saying she is “disappointed” to miss the event, but is trying to “find the right balance” on returning to her full-time royal duties.
Kate’s first appearance at Royal Ascot came in 2016, where she wore a white floral lace dress by Dolce & Gabbana with nude heels, a twine clutch and a woven gold fascinator by Jane Taylor.
According to the Daily Mail’s reporting at the time, the then-Duchess of Cambridge thoroughly enjoyed her first Ascot, alongside the Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and the Countess of Wessex. “The minute the races began, their ladylike facades fell away as they roared with delight,” the Mail reported, “[they] whooped and cheered as they watched their horses gallop to victory on the historic racecourse.”
Her next appearance was in 2017, a year later, with a look so similar to her 2016 outing that you’d be forgiven for thinking they were the same dress. Again wearing long-sleeved white lace, Kate’s 2017 dress was instead made by Alexander McQueen. She paired it with a smaller, net fascinator and a nude clutch.
Kate switched up the colour in 2019, when she arrived wearing a cornflower blue two-piece by Elie Saab. The blouse featured sheer material with embellishments, lace embroidery and a pussybow blouse, with a matching effect on the tulle skirt.
In 2022, the Princess of Wales returned to Ascot after a brief hiatus thanks to Covid. For her grand return, she delighted crowds with a black and white polka dot dress by Alessandra Rich, evoking memories of Princess Diana at Ascot in 1988. It was also very My Fair Lady.
Kate’s most recent Ascot outing came in 2023, where she wore her most colourful look of all: a bright crimson wrap-around dress with a matching disc fascinator, sloped to reveal a floral adornment.
The Princess is said to have had a very good time at the 2023 event, chatting with Dame Judi Dench and even giving Prince William an affectionate pat on the bottom at one point.
It’s unclear whether the Princess of Wales will be missing the entirety of Ascot 2025, but we can patiently wait for her eventual return with baited breath.
