‘Panic' over Kate Middleton's health after her sudden no-show at Ascot
Publicly, Kensington Palace sought to downplay Kate Middleton's last-minute decision Wednesday to pull out of making an appearance at the Royal Ascot horse-racing festival.
But behind the scenes, palace insiders revealed to the Daily Beast that the sudden decision by Catherine, the Princess of Wales, to withdraw from such a high-profile event set off "a real sense of panic" and concern about a possible downturn in her health.
It was just six months ago that the future queen said she was in remission from an unspecified form of cancer, which had kept her from attending Ascot and many other royal events last year. To observers, Kate seemed well enough at Trooping the Color on June 14 and Garter Day on June 16. As of noon Wednesday, according to The Telegraph, Kate was still on the "carriage list," expected to ride with Prince William. But she canceled less than an hour later.
"Everyone was wandering around going, 'What is going on?'" a former courtier told the Daily Beast. "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 former courtier, who reportedly retains good links to Kensington Palace staff, also said: "The chaotic nature of the announcement was eerily reminiscent of the dark days of last year. People were bewildered and worried."
The "dark days of last year" is a reference to those first four months in 2024, when there was a near total black-out on news about Kate's health, following the stunning news in January 2024 that the seemingly healthy mother of three had undergone major abdominal surgery for a health condition that Kensington Palace wouldn't reveal. The palace also would only say that she would spend a lengthy and concerning two weeks in the hospital recovering from the surgery and miss out on a number of high-profile royal events for the foreseeable future.
For the next few months, the palace's refusal to say anything more about Kate's "personal medical information" led to growing worldwide speculation and wild internet conspiracy theories about her well-being, with people wondering if she'd left William, had a nervous breakdown or was even dying. Finally, in March 2024, Kate announced herself, via a recorded video, that she had cancer, though she wouldn't offer information about the form of cancer or her prognosis.
In September 2024, Kate announced, via another recorded video, that she had finished "preventative chemotherapy." In January, she followed up to say she was in remission. To her credit, the Daily Beast said, Kate warned the public that her plans for public appearances would be subject to change as she continues her recovery.
On Wednesday, the palace appeared to follow her lead with sources saying she was "disappointed" to miss Ascot but that she was still trying to find "balance" between fulfilling royal duties and focusing on her long-term recovery.
Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden reported that William appeared to be in good spirits, switching to ride in a carriage with King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince Saud bin Khalid al-Saud, a key member of Saudi Arabia's ruling family.
A friend of the princess sought to bolster the palace message message by telling the Daily Beast: "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."
Another friend similarly told Eden: "Catherine knows she should not overdo things. She is grateful that her recovery has gone well, but things have not been plain sailing."
The Telegraph said that Kate has gradually increased her workload in recent months but has made clear that her More recently, she has gradually been increasing her workload but has made clear that her focus remains on her health.
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Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
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9 hours ago
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‘Panic' over Kate Middleton's health after her sudden no-show at Ascot
Publicly, Kensington Palace sought to downplay Kate Middleton's last-minute decision Wednesday to pull out of making an appearance at the Royal Ascot horse-racing festival. But behind the scenes, palace insiders revealed to the Daily Beast that the sudden decision by Catherine, the Princess of Wales, to withdraw from such a high-profile event set off "a real sense of panic" and concern about a possible downturn in her health. It was just six months ago that the future queen said she was in remission from an unspecified form of cancer, which had kept her from attending Ascot and many other royal events last year. To observers, Kate seemed well enough at Trooping the Color on June 14 and Garter Day on June 16. As of noon Wednesday, according to The Telegraph, Kate was still on the "carriage list," expected to ride with Prince William. But she canceled less than an hour later. "Everyone was wandering around going, 'What is going on?'" a former courtier told the Daily Beast. "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 former courtier, who reportedly retains good links to Kensington Palace staff, also said: "The chaotic nature of the announcement was eerily reminiscent of the dark days of last year. People were bewildered and worried." The "dark days of last year" is a reference to those first four months in 2024, when there was a near total black-out on news about Kate's health, following the stunning news in January 2024 that the seemingly healthy mother of three had undergone major abdominal surgery for a health condition that Kensington Palace wouldn't reveal. The palace also would only say that she would spend a lengthy and concerning two weeks in the hospital recovering from the surgery and miss out on a number of high-profile royal events for the foreseeable future. For the next few months, the palace's refusal to say anything more about Kate's "personal medical information" led to growing worldwide speculation and wild internet conspiracy theories about her well-being, with people wondering if she'd left William, had a nervous breakdown or was even dying. Finally, in March 2024, Kate announced herself, via a recorded video, that she had cancer, though she wouldn't offer information about the form of cancer or her prognosis. In September 2024, Kate announced, via another recorded video, that she had finished "preventative chemotherapy." In January, she followed up to say she was in remission. To her credit, the Daily Beast said, Kate warned the public that her plans for public appearances would be subject to change as she continues her recovery. On Wednesday, the palace appeared to follow her lead with sources saying she was "disappointed" to miss Ascot but that she was still trying to find "balance" between fulfilling royal duties and focusing on her long-term recovery. Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden reported that William appeared to be in good spirits, switching to ride in a carriage with King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince Saud bin Khalid al-Saud, a key member of Saudi Arabia's ruling family. A friend of the princess sought to bolster the palace message message by telling the Daily Beast: "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." Another friend similarly told Eden: "Catherine knows she should not overdo things. She is grateful that her recovery has gone well, but things have not been plain sailing." The Telegraph said that Kate has gradually increased her workload in recent months but has made clear that her More recently, she has gradually been increasing her workload but has made clear that her focus remains on her health. _____ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
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Chaos and ‘Panic' Break Out at the Palace Over Kate Middleton's Health
A royal insider told The Daily Beast there was a 'real sense of panic' at the palace Wednesday, after Kate Middleton dramatically pulled out of a scheduled appearance at the Royal Ascot horse-racing festival at the last minute. The palace has provided no on-the-record explanation for the absence. However, Kate's team sought to play down the idea that the cancellation signaled a downturn in her health, with some media briefed that it was just a question of the princess seeking 'balance' as she continues to recover from cancer. Kate herself clearly said that her plans could be subject to change when she announced she was cancer-free earlier this year, which at least gave a superficial plausibility to the claims that Wednesday's unscheduled cancellation was no big deal. The U.K. media has largely gone along with the palace spin, dutifully reporting that Kate's decision to abandon the legendary Ascot carriage procession was almost routine. In fact, pulling out of such a high-profile event, just over an hour before she was due to appear with the king and queen, is highly unusual. Behind the scenes in the royal household, people are far less sanguine. The Daily Beast can reveal that the announcement left staff behind palace walls 'bewildered and worried' as they tried to figure out what was happening. The situation was made worse by the fact that an official 'carriage list' published at noon by the palace said Kate would be there, only for her to cancel within the hour. One former courtier who retains good links with serving staff said, '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.' The insider added that rumors had briefly swirled around the palace that the future queen had been taken unwell and either needed to see a doctor or had been rushed to the hospital. Kate's office did not respond to The Daily Beast's requests for comment, but a friend of the princess told The Daily Beast: '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. ' Kate's March 2024 announcement that she had cancer came after the catastrophic failure of an attempt to impose a news blackout on Kate's health. The information vacuum meant Kate's whereabouts became the subject of worldwide speculation. This time, at least, palace aides have not tried to simply remain silent in the face of self-evidently unusual events. Discreet briefings were issued to the media saying that while Kate was 'disappointed' not to go, she is seeking 'to find the right balance' when it comes to doing public engagements. However, there was no denying that Prince William looked decidedly somber on arrival at the festival, although he seemed to cheer up later when he was photographed smiling and having a drink. One of the few hints in the U.K. media that there might be more to Kate's non-appearance than meets the eye came in a line in a report in the usually well-informed Daily Telegraph, reading: 'Her appearance, recently so healthy, has belied how difficult things were last year, and how hard the fight to return to normality has been.' Kate finished 'preventative chemotherapy' in September and announced she was in remission in January of this year. She said, in a precedent-busting video: 'There are good days and bad days. I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty.' King Charles has also said that he has cancer, which is understood to be being managed on an ongoing basis with weekly treatment.
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Chaos and ‘Panic' Break Out at the Palace Over Kate Middleton's Health
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