Trooping the Colour ‘Scrutiny’ Will Have Taken Its ‘Toll’ on Kate Middleton, Expert Says: ‘That’s Going to Take Some Recovery’
Rest is on the agenda for Kate Middleton after she attended Trooping the Colour. A royal expert says the Princess of Wales, who made her first public appearance of the year on June 15, 2024, following her March cancer diagnosis announcement, is likely taking some time to recuperate. That probably means no appearances “for a little while.”
Being in the spotlight at Trooping the Colour took its ‘toll’ on Kate
Kate stepped out at King Charles III’s annual birthday parade in London, England, marking her first public appearance since Christmas Day 2023. She joined Prince William and their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, as well as other royals.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, however triumphant the appearance of a smiling Kate was, it probably took a lot out of her physically.
“I think a day like Saturday, where she knows the eyes of the world are on her, there is a huge amount of scrutiny that will take its toll,” she told ET. “I think we can probably imagine that she probably had a long and well-deserved rest afterwards [sic].”
Furthermore, it could be some time before the world gets a glimpse of Kate again. “I don’t think we can expect to see her in public for a little while. That’s going to take some recovery from.”
Going to Trooping required lots of ‘time and effort and energy’ from Kate behind the scenes
Getting ready for the king’s annual birthday celebration—hair, makeup, wardrobe—was likely a lot for Kate, per Nicholl. That, combined with being in front of cameras and crowds, not to mention guiding George, Charlotte, and Louis through the carriage ride to the Buckingham Palace balcony, required “effort.”
“The princess has this sort of swan-like quality about her,” Nicholl said. “She’s sort of gliding on the surface, but beneath the water, I think often she’s paddling quite frantically.”
“I can only imagine that a huge amount of preparation and time and effort and energy will have gone into Saturday’s appearance. I think clearly a huge amount of effort went into her appearance behind the scenes. And it wasn’t just about how she looked.”
Rather, “It was how she held herself. It was the pride that she took in being there. The way she shepherded her children into the carriage and up onto that balcony appearance.”
“It was obviously very, very important for her to be there on Saturday,” Nicholl said of Kate, noting there was no “pressure” from anyone to attend. “And I think she went to great lengths to make sure that she could be, and to do it all with that wonderful smile on her face.”
Kate stood next to King Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, on the balcony—a change from last year with William shoulder to shoulder with his father—which the New Royals author described as a “very deliberate” move.
“They’re able to relate to one another and have some sort of understanding that probably they can’t have with any other members of the family,” she said.
Kate likely felt that she ‘needed’ to be at the celebration
“I think she felt very much that she needed to be there,” Nicholl said of Kate. On one level, her “children looked so happy and relaxed having their mother there.”
On another there’s the support Kate gave to William, the king, and the public. “It was important, I think, for the Princess of Wales to be there to support her father-in-law. To be there for her family. And to be there for the nation to send out a really important message that she’s doing OK.”
Despite the “great sense of optimism” Kate’s Trooping the Colour appearance may have inspired, Nicholl noted she’s not returning to full-time royal duties soon.
“She was very honest in that message,” the expert said of Kate’s June 14, 2024, social media statement about her plan to attend the celebration. “She said there were good days, and there were bad days when she was tired.”
“I think we have to assume that Trooping was a good day, but she is still going through cancer treatment,” Nicholl went on. “She’s spoken about this need to be able to go through this period privately for her own recovery. But also for her and her family to have that much-needed privacy.”
Alongside a portrait Matt Porteous took of Kate a week earlier, the royal shared her “hope to join a few public engagements over the summer.”
She also added she’s “making good progress” with preventative chemotherapy treatment. However, it will continue for “a few more months” as she’s “not out of the woods yet.”
