Princess Kate's Latest Appearance Takes "A Lot of Pressure Off William" and Proves She's the Royal Family's "Superglue," Says Former Royal Butler
"From the outside, she’s this global icon who everyone loves and admires. But she’s also key inside the family as well."
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It was an appearance that’s been three years in the making, but Princess William and Princess Kate made their return to Easter services with the Royal Family on Sunday, April 5. The Princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer shortly before Easter 2024, causing her to miss the holiday, and in 2025, the Wales family raised eyebrows by choosing to skip the traditional Royal Family event. Now that William, Kate, and their children have returned to regularly scheduled programming, former royal butler Grant Harrold says the Princess of Wales is back “where she should be.”
Harrold, who served King Charles between 2004 and 2011, says that “people have missed seeing her at key events in recent years,” stressing that Kate is “such a much-loved member of the family.”
Wearing a beige Self-Portrait blazer dress that coordinated with Princess Charlotte's tan Catherine Walker coat and blue Self-Portrait dress, the Princess of Wales was all smiles as she helped lead the Royal Family into St George's Chapel. Speaking on behalf of CasinoHawks, Harrold continues, “It’s great to see her at the forefront of the Royal Family this weekend, which is where she should be.”
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Princess Kate is pictured with Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis and Prince William on Easter Sunday 2026.
Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte both wore Self-Portrait dresses for Easter.
The Princess of Wales has slowly returned to regular duties over the past two years, and Harrold says that Kate's support makes all the difference “both publicly and privately.”
“From the outside, she’s this global icon who everyone loves and admires,” Harrold says. “But she’s also key inside the family as well. She’s like the superglue. She’s very good at keeping everyone talking and keeping everyone together.”
Princess Kate's attendance at Easter was also integral at a time when the Royal Family is in a tricky position thanks to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's recent arrest scandal.
“She also offers a really strong and solid support to her in-laws, especially the King,” Harrold says. “They are very close and enjoy spending time together. Having her there will also take a lot of pressure off William, he likes it when they are together and you can tell he’s more confident with his wife by his side. It makes a big, big difference to the family when Kate is there.”
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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.