Prince William's emotional promise to Kate Middleton before she pulled out of Royal Ascot

Kate, 42, withdrew from the Royal Procession on the second day of Royal Ascot, with Buckingham Palace sources quick to reveal this was due to an administrative error.
Royal fans expressed concern this week when Princess Kate withdrew from the Royal Procession on the second day of Ascot. She appeared to cancel her attendance at the last minute; however, Buckingham Palace sources have since clarified that an administrative error caused the change in plans.
The Duchess of Cambridge disclosed her cancer diagnosis in March 2024 following abdominal surgery earlier in January of that year. Post-surgery, Kate stepped back from public duties as she underwent preventative chemotherapy.
‌
At the beginning of this year, she joyfully shared news of her remission and her focus on recuperation.
‌
Kate has been returning to public life, seen at events like Trooping the Colour and the Order of the Garter service, and was anticipated to join Prince William for the carriage procession from Windsor Castle to the Berkshire racecourse. Still, despite her absence, which disappointed the princess, ensuring a balanced itinerary is deemed vital for her ongoing recovery.
Prince William remains committed to supporting his wife while fulfilling Royal responsibilities. During a visit to Surplus to Supper, a food redistribution charity in Surrey, he assured a staff member that he would "look after" Kate, who in turn entreated him to "take care" of her, reports the Mirror.
"I will do, I will," William had reassured Rachel Candappa with a supportive hand on her shoulder during their conversation.
The Prince of Wales, William, attended Royal Ascot without his wife, Kate, who is focusing on her recovery after sharing her cancer diagnosis in an emotional video from the family's Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. The family, including their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, recently celebrated Father's Day by sharing two photos on social media, along with a heartfelt caption: "Happy Father's Day, Papa (before and after! ) We love you! G, C and L" accompanied by a heart emoji.
‌
Kate, now in remission, has been working on projects she is passionate about, including her Early Years Initiative. She has been studying research on improving the lives of young children, with The Princess's Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood funding a trial of a baby observation tool to help health visitors identify signs of social and emotional development in young children.
At Royal Ascot's second day, William rode in the first Royal carriage alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Saud. Wearing a traditional morning suit, he presented Billy Lee, the rider of Ombudsman, with a trophy for winning the Prince of Wales's Stakes.
The five-day Berkshire event is expected to draw a total of 250,000 spectators, with extravagant fashion on display on Ladies' Day.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Tourist, 22, whose legs were torn off by boat propeller has 'rough' update

Hannah Smith, 22, lost both her legs after being sucked into a boat propeller while on a dream holiday to the Bahamas and has undergone 26 surgeries in the past six weeks A 22-year-old woman who had both of her legs torn off after being sucked into a boat's propeller has endured a "rough" few days as she prepares for her 27th surgery. University graduate Hannah Smith was celebrating graduating with top honours for her arts degree at Miles College, Alabama when the tragic accident happened in the Bahamas. Hannah fell from the side of a pontoon boat as it was docking and was suddenly dragged beneath the water by its propeller, leaving her with catastrophic injuries and partially severed legs. ‌ Hannah remains in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Miami six weeks on from the horrific incident and has undergone 26 surgeries. More are planned in the future, according to her devastated sister Rachel, who has been by her bedside since the tragedy last month. ‌ In an update posted on Friday on a GoFundMe page set up to cover the mounting medical bills, Rachel said: "Please keep Hannah Banana in your thoughts and prayers. The past few days have been pretty rough. She was scheduled to undergo her 27/28th surgery today. "However, due to multiple complications, surgeons were unable to proceed. She's currently undergoing needed lab work, tests and procedures to assist with her comfort, control pain, remedy certain issues and prepare for additional surgeries. "Anyone who's ever been in an ICU knows that some days are better than others. Yesterday and today have not been the best days. Please keep her lifted in prayer. As always, thank you for your positive thoughts, prayers, love and support." After falling into the water and being sucked into the boat's propeller, Hannah was saved by two passengers who managed to grab her arm and pull her back on board. She was then given emergency first aid by the strangers before being airlifted to hospital. ‌ In another update posted on June 12, Rachel said the recovery process has been extremely difficult. "Hannah continues to display strength. She will be undergoing her 22nd surgery tomorrow. People are asking for updates but please keep in mind, as virtue of being in ICU, she still requires intensive care," the heartbroken sister said. "These surgeries have required her to need more blood, plasma, fluids and medications to regulate other systems. Through the pain and suffering, God has given her a will like non other. She is grateful for your prayers and support. The journey this far has been difficult to say the least. Hannah was just made aware of the death of a beloved uncle, making the situation strenuous. Please continue to pray for our family. Thank you for all the love and support." Hannah's family describe her as a crossfit-loving athlete who is a keen cheerleader, footballer and track runner. "We're trying to keep her spirits up," mum Tracy told the Mirror. "She's in a lot of pain. We're trying to practise techniques to distract her from it. Encourage her and just try to keep her pushing forward." The Royal Bahamas Police said an investigation into the freak accident was ongoing, adding in a statement: "The victim is alleged to have entered the water from a vessel she was a passenger on while it was attempting to dock. She sustained serious injuries to her lower body, caused by the vessel's propeller."

Daily Mirror

9 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Air India plane crash to 'internal decapitation' - 5 times people cheated death

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. As the story of the story of Air India Flight 171 survivor Vishwash Ramesh leaves people stunned, the Mirror takes a look at five other cases of individuals who have survived against all odds People from all around the world have been fascinated by the story of Vishwash Ramesh, the British passenger who walked away from the site of the Air India Flight 171 with just a few minor injuries. The 40-year-old Londoner had been on the doomed Boeing jet when it crashed shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in western India. It was initially assumed that all 242 people onboard had perished, but then, Vishwash emerged from the wreckage, revealing how the section of the plane he had been seated in landed on the ground, rather than hitting the roof of a building. ‌ Tragically, it's believed Vishwash, who had been travelling with his brother Ajay Kumar Ramesh, 45, is the sole survivor of a disaster which has sent shockwaves across the world. A total of 270 bodies were recovered from the crash site over the weekend, 241 of which had been on the plane when it nosedived into a medical college in a residential area of Ahmedabad. The other victims would have been on the ground when the terror unfolded. ‌ As remarkable as Vishwash's story undoubtedly is, he isn't the only person to have survived when all hope appeared to have been lost. Here, the Mirror takes a look at five instances when individuals appeared to cheat death itself under extraordinary circumstances. Shannon Malloy On January 25, 2007, a Nebraska resident by the name of Shannon Malloy suffered 'internal decapitation' after a car crash sent her slamming into the dashboard. The then 30-year-old woman was left without control over her own head after her skull became separated from her spine, but amazingly survived the horror incident without paralysis. In an interview with Denver station KMGH-TV, Dr. Gary Ghiselli, an orthopaedic spine surgeon from the Denver Spine Centre, revealed that he had never seen such an injury in a person still living. Shannon's loved ones were advised that they should prepare for the worst, but, to the wonder of medics, she stayed alive long enough for screws to be inserted in her head and neck, while a halo was attached to minimise movement. Shannon recalled: "My skull slipped off my neck about five times. Every time they tried to screw this to my head, I would slip.' As well as her neck injury, Shannon suffered a fractured skull, a bleed to the brain, and nerve damage, which left her cross-eyed. Medics view the fact that she was able to survive at all as a "miracle". Dr Ghiselli remarked: "It really is a miracle. I've seen this type of injury once before. Unfortunately, the patient didn't make it. It's a miracle that Shannon survived the actual accident. It's a miracle that she's made the progress she has." ‌ Vesna Vulovic On January 26, 1972, the doomed JAT Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367, which had been travelling between Stockholm in Sweden and Belgrade in Serbia, exploded above the mountains of the Czech Republic, breaking into three pieces. The Czechoslovak Civil Aviation Authority later determined that this was caused by a briefcase bomb which had been placed in the baggage compartment; however, no arrests were ever made. ‌ Almost all of those who'd been onboard that day, some 27 passengers and crew, died in the catastrophe. To the astonishment of all those who read about the story at the time, however, one young woman managed to survive against all odds - a 23-year-old flight attendant by the name of Vesna Vulovic. Vesna plunged 33,333 feet (10,160 metres; 6.31 miles) to the snowy ground below, a feat that would later earn her a Guinness World Record for the highest fall she had ever survived without a parachute. Her terrified screams thankfully reached the ears of heroic woodsman Bruno Honke, who rescued her from the debris field. The stewardess was taken to the hospital, where she slipped into a coma for 10 days. It was found that she'd suffered a fractured skull, two crushed vertebrae, and breaks to her pelvis, ribs and both legs. Her survival naturally left doctors baffled, and it was concluded that her being pinned down by a food cart at the tail end of the fuselage had ultimately offered her some protection. ‌ Although initially paralysed from the waist down, Vesna went on to make a near-full recovery and became something of a celebrity and symbol of resilience in Serbia. Many, understandably, also viewed her as extremely lucky. She once told The New York Times: "People always want to sit next to me on the plane." Ludger Sylbaris On May 7, 1902, labourer Ludger Sylbaris was thrown into a solitary cell in a prison in the vibrant port city of Saint-Pierre, Martinique, then referred to as the 'Paris of the West Indies', after getting himself into a brawl. Although at the time, it was no doubt vexing to be trapped in a half-underground cell, this positioning ultimately proved fortuitous, with the events that transpired next ultimately earning him the nickname "the man who lived through Doomsday". ‌ As Ludger languished in his dungeon-like cell, with a narrow slit in the door offering the only view out, the Mt. Pelée volcano, which loomed over the cosmopolitan city, exploded, killing almost 30,000 residents. There was no escape for those caught in the 1,075-degree pressure wave, which destroyed every building, ship, and human being in its path. Even those who sought refuge in shelters were not safe, with their lungs burned from the inside out as oxygen was replaced with lethal gases. In his isolated stone cell, Ludger was afforded a degree of protection that those walking free sadly didn't have. As detailed by Historic Mysteries, Ludger did suffer horrific burns after the inside of his cell rapidly heated up to 1000 degrees. However, he was able to avoid breathing in the toxic air by urinating on his clothes and using them to plug up the door grating. ‌ It would be four long days before rescuers came to his aid. By then, Saint-Pierre was in ruins, with only a handful of survivors having weathered the destruction. With the city where he'd lived and worked now a ghost town, Ludger was forced to begin again. He went on to find celebrity status after joining up with the Barnum & Bailey circus, where punters were captivated by his incredible tale of survival. Martunis Little Martunis was just seven years old when he survived the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, which saw a 30 m (100 ft) high wave wreak devastation along coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. ‌ At least 225,000 people across 11 countries died in the tragedy, including Martunis' own mother and sisters. Recalling that terrible day in December 2024, 20 years on, Martunis remembered: 'I was playing football with my friends when suddenly an earthquake struck. "I rushed home and gathered with my mother, older sister, and younger sister, and we hugged each other. Then someone shouted that the sea water was rising and I ran together with my mother, my little sister and older sister." The family desperately attempted to escape in a pickup truck, but when it overturned, they got separated. Martunis, now 27, shared: "At that moment, I picked up my little sister and handed her to my mother. ‌ "I also picked up my older sister and helped her when she was drowning in the water. I tried to lift my sisters who were drowning, but we got separated. "I found myself on a mattress. As the mattress started to sink, I grabbed onto a school bench, but that also sank. "Then I saw a coconut. I hugged it like hugging a football until I climbed onto another mattress. I passed out several times... I was drowning. Suddenly, I found myself on a big tree and was carried towards the sea. "When I woke up, I didn't see a single person anymore. I couldn't find anyone who was alive. I just saw a lot of corpses around me. I was lost in the mangrove swamp for 21 days, trying to find food. ‌ "Sometimes I found biscuits and also some other food, like instant noodles, bottled water, as well as other drinks. On day 20, I ran out of food and had to drink rainwater." Eventually, Martunis was found on a beach by a Sky News TV crew, and taken to the hospital. By this point, he was dehydrated, malnourished and covered in mosquito bites, but miraculously, alive. He was thankfully reunited with his father, Sarbini, on the hospital wards, thanks to Save The Children through their Family Tracking and Reunification programme. ‌ The counterfeit Portugal football top Martunis had been wearing at the time of his rescue brought his story to the attention of professional footballers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who reportedly paid for Martunis' education. Martunis even went on to enjoy significant footballing success in his own right and went on to sign an academy contract for Ronaldo's old club, Sporting Lisbon. Alcides Mareno ‌ On the morning of December 7, 2007, window cleaner Alcides Moreno and his younger brother Edgar took the lift to the top floor of the 47-storey Solow Tower building in Manhattan, New York City. Just as they stepped out onto the scaffold to wash the glass, the cables holding the 16ft wide (4.9m) washing platform in place "slipped from their attachment point", as per the United States Department of Labour accident report. Sadly, Edgar, 30, fell instantly to his death, striking the top of a wall at an estimated speed of 124 mph. Alcides, then 37, clung tightly to the aluminium platform, which acted almost like an airborne surfboard, slowing his descent. When emergency services went to rescue Alcides from a heap of twisted metal, he was still breathing and even made attempts to stand up, BBC News later reported. ‌ Alcides' injuries were severe, and he had to undergo 16 different operations to repair the extensive damage to his body, including his kidneys, brain, bones, and lungs. He also received 24 pints of blood and 19 pints of plasma, enough to replace all his blood twice over. Experts were left amazed that Alcides had lived to tell the tale. As reported by the New York Post, Dr. Sheldon Teperman, director of trauma and critical-care surgery at Jacobi Medical Centre in The Bronx, made the following comments at the time: 'Fifty per cent of people who fall four to five stories die. By the time you reach 10 or 11 stories, just about everyone dies. This guy absolutely should have died.'

Telegraph

20 hours ago

• Telegraph

Princess of Wales makes public statement after pulling out of Ascot

The Princess of Wales has issued her first public statement since pulling out of Royal Ascot at the last minute. She dropped out of a planned appearance at the prestigious horse race meeting after she had been due to make a return to the spectacle on Wednesday. The Princess, 43, missed last year's event when she was undergoing cancer treatment. She was said to be disappointed to not attend the racing event alongside her husband, the Prince of Wales, but was still striving to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements. On Friday, in her first statement since the announcement, the Princess praised the 'life-changing' work carried out by children's hospices. The mother of three marked Children's Hospice Week and the work done by hospices in 'lifting spirits' of seriously ill children. As patron of East Anglia Children's Hospices (Each) and Tŷ Hafan Children's Hospice in South Wales, she said: 'I have the immense privilege of seeing for myself the extraordinary work of our children's hospices. 'Lifting spirits through laughter, fun and play, as well as listening, holding, caring and sharing, they support children and families through life, death and beyond.' The Princess's message added: 'This Children's Hospice Week, I hope you will join me in celebrating the life-changing work they do and thanking them for the vital care they provide to children and families experiencing the most challenging times.' The message has been shared on social media channels by the two hospices she is patron of and the UK charity for seriously ill children and families, Together for Short Lives. Children's Hospice Week, from June 16-22, is organised by Together for Short Lives and is the only week dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the services across the country. The Princess has been a royal patron of each for more than 10 years and has long been a champion of the work that children's hospices do. The Princess's message, released on Friday afternoon, also read: 'No parent expects to hear that their child has a serious health condition that could shorten their life. 'Sadly, this is the reality faced by thousands of families across the country, leaving them heart-broken, fearful of the future and often desperately isolated. 'Being able to access the support of one of the UK's 54 children's hospices means they don't have to face that future alone.' The Princess has in recent years made early years campaigning work her main focus after launching Shaping Us, a major new public awareness campaign in 2023 about the importance of early childhood. Through the initiative, Catherine aims to improve society's understanding of the significance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and society as a whole.