Palace in Panic and Chaos Over Kate Middleton Skipping Royal Ascot
After several days of public appearances including Trooping the Colour, Kate Middleton was scheduled to appear at the Royal Ascot on June 18 alongside Prince William and other members of the royal family. But she skipped the event at the last minute despite being on the official "carriage list"—a decision that apparently threw the palace into a "panic."
A former courtier who's in touch with the current "serving staff" at the palace tells the Daily Beast, "Everyone was wandering around going, 'What is going on?' One minute she was going, and the next she wasn't. This is one of the biggest days of the year in the royal calendar; you don't just miss Ascot on a whim, so there was a real sense of panic. The chaotic nature of the announcement was eerily reminiscent of the dark days of last year. People were bewildered and worried."
There were even rumors around the palace about Kate's health, though a friend of hers tells the outlet "My understanding is that Kate was basically exhausted after Trooping the Color on Saturday and Garter Day on Monday and couldn't face it. There are good days and bad days, as she herself has very candidly said."
Meanwhile, source tells the Daily Mail that Kate was "disappointed" to miss the event, but has "to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements." They also said she was never meant to be on the "carriage list," explaining "Unfortunately, an inaccurate version of the carriage list was issued in error after that notification. The correct list was then circulated."
Another friend told the outlet, "Catherine knows she should not overdo things. She is grateful that her recovery has gone well, but things have not been plain sailing. She had a busy day at Trooping the Colour at the weekend and, if she's feeling slightly under the weather, it's better that she takes it easy."
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