Princess Kate Is Unlikely to Wear a Tiara This Year, Despite Returning to Royal Duties

Royal fans have been delighted to witness Princess Kate returning to her official duties in recent months. In September, the Princess of Wales announced she'd completed preventative chemotherapy treatment following her cancer diagnosis. However, Kate Middleton is unlikely to wear a tiara this year, which is seriously disappointing news for royal aficionados.

Royal experts previously predicted that Princess Kate would wear a tiara at a state banquet in December. King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the state visit, which is for the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani. However, just this week, the Palace confirmed that Princess Kate would skip the evening banquet, instead greeting the royal guests in the daytime.

While a Princess Kate tiara moment is off the table during the state visit, she will take part in a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace with The King and Queen, and husband Prince William.

Royal historian Jessica Storoschuk of An Historian About Town previously spoke with Marie Claire senior editor Kristin Contino about whether Kate would be attending December's state banquet. "Given that she is wife of the heir and typically an involved senior royal, she will most likely attend if she is medically able to," Storoschuk said. However, Princess Kate has also slowed down and placed a larger focus on her children following her cancer diagnosis. As a result, some official events may not be a priority at this time.

On Nov. 19, Princess Kate missed Buckingham Palace's annual Diplomatic Corps Reception for the first time in a decade. As for when the Princess of Wales might make a fuller return to public engagements, royal author Robert Hardman told Hello!, "The Palace will be keen to manage expectations." He continued, "If she did start returning to major social events, that would lead people to think things are back to normal, which isn't the case." Hardman emphasized, "I think there's no pressure on her to do that."