Experts Reveal Royal Ascot Gave Kate Middleton Wake-Up Call

Kate Middleton wears a red polo neck sweater and has long curly brown hair

(Image credit: Getty Images/Chris Jackson)

On June 18, Kate Middleton suddenly canceled a planned appearance at Royal Ascot, with sources claiming the Princess of Wales was "disappointed" to miss the event. Royal experts suggested Prince William would "feel the void" at Royal Ascot without his wife, but royal aides subsequently claimed that Kate's absence was "no cause for alarm." Now, the Daily Beast is reporting that Princess Kate's decision to skip Ascot was indicative of more serious issues.

"The last few years have been horrific," a former Royal Family staff member told the outlet. "[T]he relentless speculation about her and William, Queen [Elizabeth]'s death, The King's diagnosis which had them both thinking they were going to have to take over and then her own cancer diagnosis and treatment."

Unsurprisingly, the challenges Princess Kate has been dealing with have "taken [their] toll." Luckily, the Prince of Wales is standing by to "fight tooth and nail to see she is given" extra "time to recover," should she need it, per the former staff member.

Kate Middleton and Prince William talking on the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Colour — Prince William and Kate Middleton at Trooping the Colour on June 14.

The former royal staff member elaborated, telling the Daily Beast, "Kate is recalibrating her entire life, her entire work-life balance. Wednesday was a wake-up call, not a one-off. She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with, and it was just too much this week."

Princess Charlotte wears a turquoise dress to attend Trooping the Colour with Kate Middleton — Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton at Trooping the Colour on June 14.

As a result of Kate's Royal Ascot cancellation, and the ensuing public reaction, experts believe the Princess of Wales will retreat from public life, to some extent. According to the Daily Beast, royal sources told the outlet "they expected Kate to dramatically scale back her public appearances for the rest of the year and instead increase her online and digital footprint, remotely supporting causes close to her heart."

Essentially, Kate's health, following her cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy treatment, is more important than anything else. "Kate will take it much easier for the rest of the year," one source alleged to the outlet. "I'd be surprised if you see her more than three times in the next three months."

TOPICS

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.