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Following her cancer diagnosis in 2024, Kate Middleton’s return to royal life continues into 2025.
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Though she is certainly back on royal duty, the Princess of Wales’s public appearances are more curated and selective than before her diagnosis.
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Royal biographer Robert Jobson said that it’s now “more important for her to prioritize herself” than to force “herself to be the best all the time.”
After being away from public life for most of 2024 following a major abdominal surgery and a subsequent cancer diagnosis, Kate Middleton is making a gradual return to royal life this year, taking part in annual staples in the royal diary like Commonwealth Day, special events like VE Day commemorations, and royal engagements, like her surprise appearance last week at an event for the British Fashion Council.
While the Princess of Wales’s schedule isn’t as jam-packed as it used to be prior to 2024, the return is happening—on her own terms. Cancer is certainly breeding ground for a life reset, and there’s no doubt that the future queen realized what matters most during her illness—her family that she shares with husband Prince William.
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Kate Middleton on March 22, 2022
“Some people who have a life-changing experience, it makes them realize they don’t have all the time in the world,” royal biographer Robert Jobson told The Sun. “Catherine has always put a huge amount of pressure on herself, but she is now more forgiving, not forcing herself to be the best all the time.”
In order to get put on her schedule, “A public engagement, a tour, or a project has to be okay for her—to suit her—rather than she has to do something for appearance’s sake or just because she’s royal,” he continued. “It’s more important for her to prioritize herself, whether that may be going to the gym or playing tennis. The reason for this shift is partly the cancer and partly because she’s more comfortable in her role.”
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Kate Middleton on December 5, 2023
A close friend of Kate’s told the outlet, “Last spring and early summer, things were really very tough. Catherine was very ill, and William genuinely had to confront the possibility that he could lose his wife and his father” King Charles, who was also diagnosed with cancer in early 2024. (While Kate announced in January that she is in remission, the King’s cancer treatment continues.)
“Keeping things as normal as possible for the ‘kiddies,’ as Catherine calls them, was paramount,” the friend added of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. “Her mum [Carole Middleton] in particular was a tower of strength and support.”
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Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Kate Middleton, and Princess Charlotte on May 5, 2025
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Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Kate, and Princess Charlotte attend the Christmas morning service on December 25, 2024
As was the healing power of nature and being outdoors, which Kate has opened up about many times in the past year. “The princess herself has spoken movingly over the past 13 months of the power that nature has played in her recovery,” a palace source said. “That is definitely a message of both her private life and her public work going forward.”
Read the original article on InStyle