Catherine, Princess of Wales, cancelled her Royal Ascot appearance to focus on her cancer recovery. Photo / Getty Images
Catherine, Princess of Wales, cancelled her Royal Ascot appearance to focus on her cancer recovery. Photo / Getty Images
Catherine, Princess of Wales, pulled out of a high-profile horse racing event this week – an unexpected cancellation that renewed attention on her ongoing recovery from cancer.
Kate, as she is widely known, was described in British media reports to be “disappointed” not to attend the Royal Ascot, a signatureevent for Britain’s royals. She is trying to “find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements”, the Press Association news agency said.
Catherine’s name had appeared in the Ascot’s official guest list of those in the carriage procession, with her husband Prince William, King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Ascot later published a revised list of names.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla were at Royal Ascot. Photo / Getty Images
Kensington Palace confirmed that William attended the event without his wife. Catherine’s mother, Carole Middleton, was also present and was photographed with her daughter-in-law, Alizee Thevenet, the wife of Catherine’s brother, James Middleton.
Kate's mother Carole Middleton at Royal Ascot with King Charles. Photo / Getty Images
Royal Ascot is renowned for its horse racing and extravagant fashion. Held over five days at the Ascot Racecourse, about 30 miles west of London, it was one of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite social events.
Catherine has increased her public appearances after she announced in January that she was in remission from an undisclosed form of cancer. In recent days, she attended Trooping the Colour (the king’s birthday parade) and a service celebrating the Order of the Garter. She also visited a storage facility for the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Prince William attended the event without his wife. Photo / Getty Images
But the palace has consistently said that there would be a flexible approach to her return to duties, depending on her recovery and how she was feeling.
In March 2024, Catherine announced in an emotional video that she was being treated for cancer, a month after Charles said he had been diagnosed with cancer.
In a September video post, she said she had completed chemotherapy and wanted to “stay cancer free”.
At the time, she said she was looking forward to “undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can”. But she also acknowledged that “my path to healing and full recovery is long, and I must continue to take each day as it comes”.
