The Princess of Wales was seen and photographed at Balmoral over the weekend. Prince William and Kate went to Crathie Kirk Church at Balmoral on Sunday, with William driving and Kate riding shotgun. William was in Aberdeen last week, so I guess he went from Aberdeen to Balmoral. I wonder if Kate took the kids for the weekend? The kids are back in school, so this was probably just a weekend trip specifically for the photo-op. And the senior royals probably had meetings and made some plans for what the hell they were going to do about Prince Harry’s work in New York this week too – trust that the left-behinds have hatched some scheme to try to impose themselves on Harry’s trip. It wouldn’t surprise me if they announced some new “private meeting” for Kate to try to grab some headlines, but it’s clear that Kate will no longer agree to being sent out to try to steal Harry’s thunder. Speaking of, the Express did a longer piece about how the timeline for “Kate can’t work” will extend into 2025. Naturally.
Sources have been keen to stress that the meeting about the Princess of Wales’s early years project this week does not signal a full-time resumption of duties – and that won’t come for some time. The road ahead still needs to be carefully navigated, as her recovery is expected to extend into the new year even though her treatment has stopped.
Over the coming weeks and months, Kate will work closely with her top team, namely her private secretary Tom White and assistant private secretary Natalie Burrows to meticulously plan her gradual return to public life. She is set to slowly ease herself back into work and has her sights set on attending some public engagements over the coming months.
Key events in the royal diary are set to be prioritised, including Remembrance Sunday on November 10, at which Kate is keen to support the King and the rest of the Royal Family. However, sources stressed that a final decision will only be made in the days before the event.
“Her physical and mental recovery will take some time, and although she wants to return to work she is mindful to prioritise her health, for her family’s sake as much as hers,” one said.
Mr Arbiter noted that the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall the night before could also be a possibility. The Princess is hopeful that she can attend her “Together at Christmas” carol service at Westminster Abbey in December and join the family for the traditional walkabout on Christmas Day.
The new year is set to follow a similar gradual return to royal duties, with aides mindful not to rush a resumption of a fuller diary. Some have suggested that the six-month mark – which would suggest March – is a likely timescale of when the public can expect to see Kate attending more day-to-day engagements.
One well-placed source said the couple haven’t ruled out rescheduling their visit to Rome, which was initially planned for spring 2024 but was postponed following the Princess’s cancer diagnosis, to a similar time next year.
Y’all already know what I think – I think negotiations were afoot for months and a deal was worked out. The sudden reemergence of Carole and Michael Middleton into society was part of the deal, as was Kate’s new schedule. All of the offices are on the same page though, except for Kate and William’s “cancer-free” video. That wasn’t part of Buckingham Palace’s script and BP was disgusted by it. But everything else is part of the plan, including the new timeline where Kate will still be barely seen through March. Ten bucks says that in January, we’ll be told that she still needs more recovery time and we shouldn’t expect to see her much until Trooping. And on and on. While I think Kate had legitimate health concerns/issues, there’s something else happening alongside those issues.
Kate Middleton pictured for the first time since she announced she has finished chemotherapy https://t.co/zM2u29fOdn pic.twitter.com/vsFKVPjIj4
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) September 22, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.