Kate Middleton to miss major family event next month amid ongoing recovery

Publish date: 2024-06-09

The Princess of Wales will not attend a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, HELLO! understands.

The Colonel's Review is set to take place in London on 8 June, and as Colonel-in-Chief of the Irish Guards, Kate would usually take the salute.

However, Lieutenant General James Bucknall, KCB, CBE, will carry out the role of Inspecting Officer on behalf of the Princess as she continues her recovery.

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But just weeks before her illness was made public and amid her recovery from major abdominal surgery, the army was forced to remove an announcement on its website that the Princess would be conducting the review after not seeking approval from Kensington Palace.

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Tickets were being sold on the official website for the military spectacle, advertising an appearance by Kate.

The announcement caused confusion at the time because there had been no official confirmation from the palace.

Kate's last official public appearance was on Christmas Day 2023 as she and Prince William walked to church with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

It comes as Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King will participate in his birthday parade – known as Trooping the Colour – on 15 June.

Charles, 75, who is also being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, will inspect the soldiers during the ceremony from a carriage with Queen Camilla by his side.

It has not been confirmed which members of the royal family will join the King and Queen at the parade, but in recent years only working royals have participated and watched the flypast from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

When will Kate return to royal duties?

While the Princess' return to her public duties has not been announced by Kensington Palace, she has been spotted out and about in recent weeks while undergoing treatment, HELLO! understands.

It comes after Kate was said to be "excited" by her business taskforce's new report that claims the UK could reap £45.5 billion in economic benefits if firms prioritise early childhood.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said earlier this month: "Early childhood is a huge priority for the Princess of Wales and she has been kept fully up to date throughout the process and the development of the taskforce's work, and she has seen the report."

However, royal sources told HELLO!this did not signify a return to royal duties for Kate who "needs the space and privacy to recover" and will not go back to work until her medical team gives her the green light.

Timeline of Princess Kate's surgery and health updates

25 December 2023 – Kate is last seen publicly on Christmas Day

9 January 2024 – Kate celebrates her 42nd birthday, with the King and Queen sharing a behind-the-scenes photo from the coronation to mark the day.

11 January 2024 – William returns to royal duties, meeting rugby heroes Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

17 January 2024 – Kensington Palace announces in a statement that Kate has undergone abdominal surgery at the London Clinic and that William has temporarily stepped back from royal duties to care for Kate and their children.

18 January 2024 – William visits Kate at the London Clinic.

26 January 2024 – King Charles visits Kate in hospital before undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.

29 January 2024 – Kate is discharged from hospital and returns home to Windsor to continue her recovery. King Charles also leaves the London Clinic on the same day after his treatment.

7 February 2024 – William resumes royal duties attending London's Air Ambulance Charity gala with Tom Cruise.

10 February 2024 – William and Kate spend February half-term with George, Charlotte and Louis at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. Kate's siblings are also pictured on holiday during the school holidays, with James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet flying to the Caribbean with baby Inigo, and Pippa Matthews and her family holidaying on the island of St Barts.

27 February 2024 – Kate said to be "doing well" as William pulls out of King Constantine memorial due to a "personal matter".

29 February 2024 – Kensington Palace addresses social media speculation, reiterating: "We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter."

10 March 2024 - A photograph of Kate with their three children at home in Windsor is released to mark Mother's Day and to thank the public for their "continued support".

11 March 2024 - Kate publicly apologises for the "confusion" around the photograph as she admitted she "occasionally experiments with editing," after news agencies pulled the image amid claims it had been digitally altered. The Princess is then seen in a car with William as she's driven to a private appointment in London. 

19 March 2024 - Footage of William and Kate leaving the Windsor Farm Shop is shared by The Sun and TMZ in the first video sighting of the Princess since surgery.

22 March 2024 - Princess Kate confirms that she has been diagnosed with cancer in a moving video message and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy. 

18 April 2024 - Prince William returns to royal duties after spending Easter holidays privately as a family. 

10 May 2024 - Prince William says Kate is "doing well" as he visits the Isles of Scilly. 

21 May 2024 - Princess Kate is "excited" as Kensington Palace shares update on her early years work with the release of her Business Taskforce's prioritising childhood report.

8 June 2024 - Princess Kate writes letter to Irish Guards to apologise for not being able to take part in the salute at the Colonel's Review.

14 June 2024 - In a personal statement, Kate shares she is making "good progress" and that her "treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months". 

15 June 2024 - Kate makes her first major public appearance since diagnosis at Trooping the Colour

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