The Princess of Wales has pulled out of attending Royal Ascot at the last minute as she continues to ‘find the right balance’ following her battle with cancer.
Kate is said to be ‘disappointed’ at not attending the famous social and sporting occasion in Berkshire with her husband Prince William and the King and Queen.
Racegoers had been hoping to see the Princess after the Prince of Wales was named as one of the figures awarding race prizes during the second day of the meet.
Ascot officials had confirmed at 12pm that the Princess was due to be in the second carriage in the royal procession with William, in a published carriage list.
But less than half an hour later, Kensington Palace confirmed just before 12.30pm that Kate would not be attending – and a revised carriage list was published by Ascot.
MailOnline understands the Princess was ‘disappointed’ not to be in attendance ‘but she has to find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements’.
However, Kate’s mother Carole Middleton did attend Ascot today, wearing a dress from luxury women’s designer ME+EM – alongside her daughter-in-law Alizee Thevenet, the wife of Kate’s brother James Middleton.
The 43-year-old Princess has been making a gradual return to public duties since it was announced in January that she was in remission from cancer.
But in the past week she has attended three high-profile events – Trooping the Colour, the annual Order of the Garter service and a visit to a V&A storage facility in London.
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The Princess of Wales at the Order of the Garter service at St George’s Chapel on Monday
The Royal Ascot carriage list was published at 12pm with Kate included (left), then a revised version was issued just after 12.30pm (right) when it was announced she would not attend
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Carole Middleton on day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire this afternoon
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Prince Saud bin Khalid Abdullah, Prince William, Queen Camilla and the King at Ascot today
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Queen Camilla and King Charles III attend day two of Royal Ascot in Berkshire today
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Sophie and Princess Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at Royal Ascot today
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The King and Queen are joined by Prince William and Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Saud today
Today, Charles and Camilla were all smiles when they arrived at racecourse in a carriage that now included William who had been due to travel in the following coach with Kate.
The King and Queen will be hoping for better luck with their horses after their much favoured thoroughbred Reaching High was well beaten in the Ascot Stakes yesterday.
They have entered Rainbows Edge in the Kensington Palace Stakes, a fillies handicap, and their horse is favourite with a number of bookies.
The Princess revealed in January she was in remission from cancer after making an emotional return to the specialist cancer institution, the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, London, where she was treated to comfort fellow patients.
She had been receiving chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer since late February last year with the King beginning his cancer care earlier that month following his diagnosis after treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Announcing in September her treatment had ended, Kate described in an emotional video message how the previous nine months had been ‘incredibly tough for us as a family’ and ‘doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus’.
William later said in a separate interview how 2024 had been ‘brutal’.
Yesterday, the King and Queen enjoyed a day at the races at Ascot as they welcomed the girlfriend of the Princess Royal’s son to the royal fold.
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Carole Middleton on day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire this afternoon
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Alizee Thevenet, wife of James Middleton, and Carole Middleton at Royal Ascot this afternoon
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Racegoers on day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire today
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Georgia Toffolo attends day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire today
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Racegoers on day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire today
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A racegoer poses for a photograph on day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse today
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Racegoers on day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire today
Charles and Camilla hosted guests in the royal box on the first day of Royal Ascot including the King’s nephew Peter Phillips and his partner, NHS nurse Harriet Sperling.
Ms Sperling made an appearance for the first time in the carriage procession the Royal Family make onto the famous Berkshire racecourse to signal the start of the day.
The royal procession is celebrating its 200th anniversary, a tradition begun during the reign of George IV in 1825 when the monarch was accompanied by the Duke of Wellington.
The King and Queen rode in the first carriage yesterday with Prince Faisal, a member of the Saudi royal family, and Lady Sarah Keswick, one of the Queen’s official companions.
Behind them travelled the Princess Royal with Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot and the Duke and Duchess of Wellington and they were followed by a coach carrying Anne’s son Peter Phillips and his girlfriend.
Other royals spotted among the crowds yesterday included Princess Beatrice and her mother Sarah, Duchess of York and Zara and Mike Tindall.
The head of state and his wife have continued Queen Elizabeth II’s close association with the Berkshire race meet but they had no luck with the sport of Kings when their horse Reaching High was well beaten in the Ascot Stakes.
The late Queen was a passionate owner and breeder of thoroughbreds and had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign.
Charles and Camilla have taken on her stable of horses and enjoyed their first Royal Ascot winner in 2023 when their horse Desert Hero triumphed in the King George V states.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales leave the Order of the Garter Service in Windsor on Monday
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Louis, William, George, Kate and Charlotte on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London to view the flypast following the Trooping the Colour ceremony last Saturday, June 14
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The Princess of Wales during her last visit to Royal Ascot which was on June 23, 2023
Kate was last seen on Monday, joking and laughing when she made a return to one of the highlights of the royal calendar – a service celebrating the Order of the Garter.
The princess, who missed last year’s event during the period of her cancer treatment, was in good spirits when she watched the procession of Ladies and Knights of the Garter through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel.
Kate was joined by the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at the chapel’s Galilee porch, a traditional vantage point to see the spectacle.
The King and Queen followed convention and were at the back of the procession dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes, as were the other members of the order including the Prince of Wales, Princess Royal and Duke of Edinburgh.
Kate and Sophie burst into laughter just as the front of the procession passed by, with the elderly Military Knights of Windsor leading the way.
William looked across at the porch as he approached the viewing spot but his wife was deep in conversation with the duchess and when Kate finally looked up William was chatting to Edward walking beside him.
Kate and Sophie arrived together 15 minutes ahead of the procession and when two gentlemen ushers, who provide support at royal events, doffed their top hats one after the other at Kate and Sophie, the princess appeared to make a joke.
The royal women looked stylish in wide-brimmed hats with Kate wearing an outfit by Self Portrait and a hat by Sean Barrett.
The royals waved and smiled at the crowds as they were driven past just a few days after they took part in a carriage procession during Trooping the Colour on Saturday.
