Commentator Urges Royals to Develop a Plan for How to ‘Manage’ if Kate Middleton’s Recovery Goes Beyond Summer
The British royal family has some work to do while Kate Middleton continues her recovery. A commentator says the Princess of Wales’s fellow royals should start developing a plan. Why? In case the 42-year-old’s break from duties amid her ongoing cancer treatment extends into the fall. Specifically, how they’ll navigate “public opinion” and questions surrounding Kate’s health.
Royals need a plan to manage ‘public opinion’ as Kate Middleton continues her recovery
The royals, or perhaps more accurately, royal courtiers, must create a plan regarding Kate’s ongoing recovery. “They’re going to have to come back from the August break with a plan for how to manage public opinion,” Jack Royston, a royal commentator, told the U.K.’s Sky News (via Newsweek).
British royals usually close out the summer in Scotland at the family’s Balmoral estate. However, if Kate is not back to work by then, they’ll need a plan to address what anchor Kay Burley described as a returning information “vacuum” following a fever pitch ahead of Kate’s cancer diagnosis announcement video.
“It’s starting to emerge again, but only at a low level. Significantly lower than we were seeing in kind of late February and through March,” Royston said.
Kate made her last official appearance on Christmas Day 2023. In January 2024, she underwent abdominal surgery, which led to her being diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.
“I think they’ve got time. I think that they will survive until the autumn. The royals obviously go to Balmoral for the summer in August. They’re going to have to come back from the August break with a plan for how to manage public opinion and how to manage the questions from the media as well.”
He went on to argue having it “under control” on the royals’ side of the Atlantic Ocean isn’t enough. “You have to remember that there’s a big market in America, and [this] can generate a huge audience on social media too. So it’s not enough just to have Britain under control.”
Kate is reportedly in ‘no hurry’ to return to royal duties
Unlike her father-in-law, King Charles III, who has ramped up appearances after being “frustrated” at not being able to return to work sooner, Kate is, per Vanity Fair, in no hurry to return to official duties. Instead, she’s focused on recovering as she undergoes a round of preventative chemotherapy.
“There is no timeline, and there is certainly no hurry,” a well-placed source told the publication. “It will be when Catherine feels ready and when she gets the green light from her medical team. But she will 100% be coming back to work, of that there is no question.”
Furthermore, sources close to the princess claimed Kate’s “turned a corner” with her treatment and is starting to feel much better.
Kate’s not attending a Trooping the Colour rehearsal
As summer gets underway, there are many events on the royal family’s social calendar. Among them is Trooping the Colour, the sovereign’s official birthday celebration.
Typically, Kate participates in the parade, riding in a horse-drawn carriage through the streets of London, England, before joining other royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
This year, however, it doesn’t look like Kate will be at the June 15, 2024, event. Kensington Palace confirmed Kate, who is colonel of the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army, won’t be the inspecting officer during a Trooping the Colour rehearsal—officially known as the Colonel’s Review.
Instead, General James Bucknall will carry out a June 8 inspection of troops on the royal mother of three’s behalf as she continues her recovery. There’s still a chance Kate could show up at Trooping the Colour, as the palace didn’t say whether or not she plans to attend, although it is admittedly unlikely.
Kate could also ease her way back into the spotlight by going to other events this summer, ranging from Royal Ascot and Garter Day to garden parties.
