About five weeks ago, the Princess of Wales skipped Royal Ascot. She was scheduled to appear and she pulled out at the last minute, giving only vague excuses for her sudden withdrawal. Well, “vague excuses” at first. Within days, a former royal staffer told the Daily Beast that Kate is “recalibrating her entire life, her entire work-life balance. Wednesday was a wake-up call, not a one-off. She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with, and it was just too much this week.” Another royal insider said: “Kate will take it much easier for the rest of the year. I’d be surprised if you see her more than three times in the next three months.” After that, Kate did a few appearances around the Macrons’ state visit to the UK, then she appeared at both of the Wimbledon singles finals. True to form, that was the last we’ll see of her for months, right? So then why are we being told that William and Kate are stepping up so much because of King Charles’s health?
Prince William and Princess Kate are stepping further into the spotlight amid King Charles III’s ongoing cancer treatment, sources have claimed. According to a Palace insider, the King is increasingly relying on the Prince and Princess of Wales as he shifts his focus toward his health.
“Charles is leaning on them a lot more; it’s very clear he’s seeing them as the future of the monarchy, which is exciting but also puts a ton of pressure on them both because they don’t want to let him down,” the source told The Examiner.
Insiders have noted the couple are navigating multiple transitions behind the scenes. Among them is the departure of Natasha Archer, Kate’s longtime personal assistant and unofficial stylist.
While Charles, 76, has remained active with public appearances, insiders say the monarch is being selective with his schedule.
“He still does plenty himself, it’s not as though he’s on bed rest, but he simply can’t do everything he used to so they are being called on to step up in a big way,” the source said.
That includes contributing to more strategic discussions about the monarchy’s future. “The workload and responsibilities are ramped way up; they’re now involved in all the big picture discussions,” the insider added. “William has his ideas for how he’s going to modernise things, but he’s also got to be careful that it’s in line with his father’s vision, which does make it a little more challenging.”
Kate, now in remission, is said to be slowly resuming duties while balancing her recovery.
“Kate is easing back in and taking breaks when she needs to, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the days are very long, and now that their most trusted personal assistant is leaving, it’s added a huge weight. They are being supportive of [Archer’s] decision, there’s no animosity, but it does mean they’re losing their right-hand person and will have to hire someone new and train them.”
“There’s no getting away from the fact that the days are very long…” Kate and William were just on their seventh vacation of the year, this one on a borrowed megayacht. They’re now on their summer vacation in Norfolk. There’s such a huge contradiction at the heart of these stories, because yes, this IS the moment where Will and Kate should be taking on more work and standing in for Charles and Camilla more often. Will and Kate WANT that to be the message, but they don’t want to actually work more or end their endless vacations or even show up for their patronages, much less stand in for Charles. Anyway, do you think this piece is more about Kate complaining about Natasha Archer? Possibly.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
