They managed to sneak away for a few days. In late July, Prince William, Princess Kate and their kids were spotted sailing on a yacht off the coast of Kefalonia, Greece.
The brief trip represented a much-needed respite from Kate’s busy month, which had already included attending a state banquet with French President Emmanuel Macron, presenting the trophies at the Wimbledon finals and curating a special exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Her schedule has been packed as cancer-stricken King Charles continues to unload more of his responsibilities on the future king and queen. After announcing her remission from cancer in January, “Kate has been 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,” says a source. “She’s under an enormous amount of pressure to work even more, because she doesn’t want to let Charles down.”
Still, Kate recently admitted that it’s been “very difficult” returning to work full-time. The recovery journey is “a roller coaster,” she told a group of hospital patients during a visit to the RHS Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital on July 2. “You have to find your new normal, and that takes time.”
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Unfortunately, she’s now having to do that without her longtime right-hand woman to lean on. Natasha Archer, who had been Kate’s trusted personal assistant since 2010 — and was largely credited with the princess’ style evolution — made the surprising decision to quit in early July to open her own luxury consulting business.
“Kate is supportive of Natasha’s decision to leave, and there’s no animosity, but this adds a huge new weight on her shoulders,” says the source.
It also means she will have to hire someone new and train them, which could be a nightmare. (In more shocking news, fans discovered that the aide had been following Kate’s sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, and several of the duchess’ friends on Instagram; Natasha later unfollowed most of them.)
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The timing couldn’t be worse, as Charles, who recently alarmed royal watchers when he appeared with a burst blood vessel in his eye, is only expected to pile on more work.
“He simply can’t do everything he used to, so Kate and William are being called on to step up in a big way,” says the source. “They are now involved in big-picture discussions at the palace.”
The prince and princess, both 43, are “excited” for a chance to shape the royal family’s future but still have to tread carefully, says the source. While William told reporters last year that his plans for the monarchy involve putting “a smaller R in royal,” Charles, 76, is still very much in charge.
“Everything William and Kate do now has to be in line with his father’s vision,” says the source. “So things can get quite stressful, more than Kate lets on.”