At the end of a rather gloomy week comes an unexpected ray of sunshine: the Princess of Wales will attend Trooping the Color tomorrow with her children George, Charlotte and Louis.
This is immensely encouraging news. As well as being a welcome distraction from the four horsemen of the impending political apocalypse (Sunak, Starmer, Farage and Davey), it is also the perfect time for the Princess to re-immerse herself in public life, although Kensington Palace is struggling to explain that there is no way he will return to work full time, as he still has several rounds of chemotherapy to complete.
They have made it very clear that, despite her desire to resume her role as a full-time royal, the Princess’s health remains the Royal Family’s top priority, as does her privacy at this difficult time.
Kate appears in the gardens of Kensington Palace, before Trooping the Colour.
The Princess of Wales arrives in a horse-drawn carriage for Trooping the Color in 2023
The Princess of Wales is not yet returning to her role as a full-time royal, but will be attending Trooping the Color tomorrow.
Well also. Despite intense speculation and conspiracies about her illness (particularly on social media), the princess has every right to manage her recovery process as she sees fit.
Cancer is not a one-size-fits-all disease. It affects everyone very differently. Sometimes people feel the need to share what happens to them; Sometimes they just want to be left alone to process everything in private.
Kate stands on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Prince William and their children.
The Colonel’s Review parade, which took place as part of last year’s celebrations.
King Charles has chosen the former and the princess has chosen the latter, and that is absolutely fine. The important thing is that they are both recovering.
It’s interesting that she chose a fairly formal event for her comeback and not, say, something like the Chelsea Flower Show, which some might see as a bit more her style.
But unlike some real wives I might mention, she’s not one to monopolize proceedings. The Princess of Wales understands her task and always puts duty before herself. She knows how important the King’s official birthday parade is to the royal calendar and how much the public will appreciate her effort to be there, despite her poor health.
It will also be a great show of strength and support for each other, a sign that more than ever, the Royals are united in the face of adversity.
There may also be an element of gentle diplomacy in this decision, as there was that uproar in March when the MoD announced she would attend, only for the Palace to issue a refusal. It was a bit of a complicated time for everyone, with a lot of crossed wires, so maybe this is their way of ending it all.
It’s also true that conspiracies love a vacuum, so perhaps the point of this appearance is also to put an end to silly speculation, especially on social media.
Certainly, if the latest photograph of her, taken a few days ago in the garden of Windsor Castle, is anything to go by, she is doing very well.
Standing alone under a powerful willow tree, surrounded by greenery, she appears serene and quite thoughtful. She is a peaceful, slightly melancholic image, very different from the glitz and glamor she is normally associated with. Not that she looks anything less than stylish, in a simple white T-shirt and sneakers, skinny jeans and blazer. The only hint of her brilliance is her engagement ring, firmly set.
All eyes will be on the Princess at tomorrow’s ceremony, and rightly so. She is a star and we all miss her. I can’t wait to see her get her full strength back.