Inside Kate Middleton and Prince William's Most Relatable Chapter Yet
Originally appeared on E! Online
Kate Middleton deciding to skip the 2025 Royal Ascot was a reminder that not everything is back to normal for the royal family.
The Princess of Wales has been out and about exponentially more than she was in 2024, of course, the 43-year-old having shared in January that the unspecified type of cancer she was treated for last year was in remission.
But Kate is still in the midst of balancing what's best for her health with all the public-facing duties that would be expected of her in an average year. Which is how most of her and Prince William's 14 years of marriage could be described, work-wise, up until 2024's unprecedented pile-up of crises.
Which, ironically, meant that Kate and William's life took on an mistakable whiff of relatability for a change while they simply tried to keep it all together for , 11, , 10, and , 7, and come out the other side as whole as possible.More from E! Online
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And while normal isn't generally a descriptor that applies unironically to Kate and William, who's celebrating his 43rd birthday June 21, there was nothing normal about the thick layer of scrutiny they had to operate under once Kensington Palace said early last year that Kate would be taking a few months off from official duties.
But when Kate informed the world in a March 22, 2024, video message that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy, it was a humbling moment for those banking on a more salacious explanation for her absence.
Not to mention, it was a reminder that, when an extremely public person whose main job is to be seen asks for health-related privacy, she has her reasons.
For the most part, in keeping with how the couple have handled most of the outside hysteria—while addressing it at all is unusual, they've still been relatively unreactive compared to how some celebrities deal with vicious rumors—they stayed the course.
William, meanwhile, had already pressed pause on his own schedule after Kate's surgery and his father's treatment for an enlarged prostate. But after Charles shared that he'd been diagnosed with cancer, the heir to the throne knew he had to get back to work as soon as possible as the youngest and most popular senior royal still in commission.
"They are very good at keeping calm and carrying on, no matter what's going on behind closed doors," royals correspondent told E! News after Charles' February 2024 announcement. "We continually see this commitment to duty no matter what."
At the same time, she added, "We look at them oftentimes as made of steel and just nothing affects them, they aren't led by their emotions and they never seem to be ill, they're not real people. Knowing they're just like us is a really good way to encourage others to be on top of their own health."
Kate noted in her video, filmed in the garden at Windsor Castle, that it had taken time both for her to recover from "major surgery" and for her and William to best explain her situation to George, Charlotte and Louis "in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK."
She added, "Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance. I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal."
Composed and sanguine as she may have been, and though she did not share any other particulars about her condition, by historic royal standards that was practically the Rolling Stone interview."I would hope that many of the people that've peddled these conspiracy theories, which have ranged from her being in a coma to having botched cosmetic surgery, might just take a break from the keyboard," NBC News royals contributor Katie Nicholl told anchor Lester Holt afterward. "As a family, they've obviously been going through a huge amount."
Noting the implied plea for privacy in the princess' message, Nicholl said that Kate shares information "in her time, on her terms, and what comes first for her isn't the public trying to find out what's happened here. It's about protecting her family."
William returned to work weeks later, accepting cards on his father and Kate's behalf during his visit to Surplus to Supper in Surrey, which combats food waste and the the scourge of hunger due to poverty.
When a volunteer entreated him to look after his wife, William assured her, "I will, thank you very much."
Kate, who still was attending to some duties from home, said in her video that her work had always brought her "a deep sense of joy" and she was looking forward to getting back out there as soon as she was able.
When she and the kids emerged at the 2024 Trooping the Colour (the monarch's official birthday celebration) last June, Nicholl called it a "wonderful surprise," explaining, "We know that as the King and the Princess of Wales have gone through this cancer journey together, they've very much been supporting each other behind the scenes. Well this is the ultimate show of support."It was behind closed doors, however, where William stepped up without fanfare, taking periodic breaks from official duties to be home with his family.
"Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult,' William told reporters during his visit to Cape Town, South Africa, to award the fourth annual Earthshot Prize in November. "I'm so proud of my wife, I'm proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view...it's been brutal."
Ahead of the couple's 13th anniversary in 2024, royal biographer Robert Jobson told HELLO! that the date was "a testament to not only their love, but also their unity."
As "their strength lies in being together," Jobson said, "the ups and downs they have weathered together have cemented their bond, which is now unshakeable."
He continued, "Catherine has done her best to stick to a routine for the sake of the children. She and William know the importance of taking each day as it comes. It was a huge blow when they first learned of the diagnosis, but they are both mentally strong. Without doubt, it has brought the couple even closer together."
Better yet, Kate slowly returned to the spotlight, her schedule streamlined but her engagements reminiscent of previous years as she took Charlotte to Wimbledon last July, attended the Festival of Remembrance in November and hosted her annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.
As royal biographer and The Crown historian Robert Lacey told People, "The double illness has placed enormous pressure on William, both as a parent and inheritor of the family business. It has brought all kinds of challenges. He [has handled] it with calmness and lack of drama."
Lacey added, "From what we know of their personal lives, for William and Kate, spending time with their children is the most precious and enjoyable thing they can do."
Ahead of the couple's 13th anniversary in 2024, royal biographer Robert Jobson told HELLO! that the date was "a testament to not only their love, but also their unity."
As "their strength lies in being together," Jobson said, "the ups and downs they have weathered together have cemented their bond, which is now unshakeable."
He continued, "Catherine has done her best to stick to a routine for the sake of the children. She and William know the importance of taking each day as it comes. It was a huge blow when they first learned of the diagnosis, but they are both mentally strong. Without doubt, it has brought the couple even closer together."
Better yet, Kate slowly returned to the spotlight, her schedule streamlined but her engagements reminiscent of previous years as she took Charlotte to Wimbledon last July, attended the Festival of Remembrance in November and hosted her annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.
Though like any couple whose schedules are mapped out months in advance, she and William have had to learn how to adjust on the fly.
"Life as you know it can change in an instant and we've had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown," Kate, sharing that she'd completed chemotherapy, said in a September video message. "The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything."
In honor of their two decades as a couple, keep reading to see Kate and William's sweetest moments:
Blush and BashfulThey Still Got GameJingle Bell RoyalsMonarch Approved(Originally published April 28, 2024, at 9 p.m. PT)
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