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Long gone are the days when Kate Middleton was readily accessible to the public. In the past, Kate has always demonstrated her loyalty to the royal family and the general public at hand in more ways than one. Recently, however, it appears the Princess is less inclined to oversaturate her calendar with royal engagements, much to the chagrin of many. These days, when the Brits are not picking the princess apart for her new blonde hair or claiming that her feud with Meghan Markle is worse than anyone knows, they’re chastising Kate for distancing herself from the public.
In a scathing piece for The Daily Mail, columnist Liz Jones compared Kate’s nine royal engagements (between January and June 2025) to Prince William’s 71 and King Charles’ 233. And while Jones did make careful mention of Kate’s cancer diagnosis and surgery, she was also quick to point out that King Charles completed all of his engagements while in the midst of his own cancer diagnosis.
Jones isn’t the only one who is questioning Kate’s notable absences. Following her last-minute decision to pull out from attending the iconic horse racing event Royal Ascot, one insider addressed the rumor that Kate simply isn’t into horse racing. “You have to wonder if she would have missed Wimbledon, which she adores,” a former royal staffer pointed out to The Daily Beast. “I am sure she was genuinely unable to come, yet the last-minute nature of the way it was announced makes the king look disrespected. Would she have dared miss Ascot at a moment’s notice when the queen was alive?” the source questioned.
Kate Middleton might be putting herself first these days
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Perhaps leading a more private life with less working engagements is simply Kate Middleton’s new normal. “Kate is recalibrating her entire life, her entire work-life balance,” another former royal staffer told The Daily Beast about the Royal Ascot fiasco. “She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with.” In short, the public should get used to seeing less of Middleton.
In August 2025, it was announced that the Wales family was moving to a new home, Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park. “Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage there have been some really difficult times,” a source told BBC. “Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter.” Some surmise that the big move is one way for Kate to take a bit of her power back and do something that feels right for her. The same can be said for the couple’s decision to forego any residential staff at their new home, which Kate reportedly never wanted.
It’s entirely possible that, fresh off the heels of her cancer journey, Kate has adopted a new lease on life — one that includes more family time, less royal engagements, and, yes, even a brighter shade of hair. “You can’t go through something like that and come out the other side unchanged,” a source told People. “She is a different person now.”