Kate Middleton is expected to focus on her health and steer clear of public duties for at least four more months, according to royal insiders.
The Princess of Wales, alongside her husband Prince William, recently shared an update on a project she’s been working on behind the scenes — which some took as a sign that she may be gearing up for an official return to royal engagements.
However, both Kensington Palace and royal correspondents such as Cameron Walker have confirmed that Middleton is not expected to return to work anytime soon as she continues to undergo cancer treatment.
The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reported that unnamed “friends” suggested royal fans “might not see” Princess Kate again “until the autumn — and only then if she has recovered fully.”
Middleton, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January, has not undertaken any royal engagements since Christmas last year. She is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
But though she won’t go back to public engagements just yet, Middleton reportedly has been keeping an eye on her closest causes, such as the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
“The princess is not expected to return to work until it’s cleared by her medical team,” a royal spokesperson told the BBC Tuesday, adding that “early childhood will continue to be central to her public work.”
The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood — which Princess Kate founded in 2021 to “drive awareness and action on the extraordinary impact” of children’s first five years of life — released a new report earlier this week highlighting the ways businesses can promote and benefit from prioritizing early childhood in the workplace.
Walker told GB News that while the report was not an indication that Middleton was ready to return to work, he was informed by unnamed royal insiders that “she’s read the report and has been briefed on it.”
“But this will stem from her work from when she started being a working member of the Royal Family, where she was working closely with people suffering from addiction and mental health problems,” Walker explained.
“What she found is all of these issues tend to stem from a poor start in life. So the first five years of a child’s life,” the royal correspondent added.
Last week, Middleton and Prince William also shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram about providing mental health support for those in the farming sector.
The video, posted in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week, focused on the psychological struggles young farmers can face as well as the importance of support and the Duchy of Cornwall’s Mental Health Strategy.
While Middleton is not featured in the video, she and her husband participated in its production.
Middleton has not been spotted in public or appeared in any new videos since announcing her cancer diagnosis in late March.
In the video message she released via social media at the time, the Princess of Wales said that she was “well and getting stronger every day.”
She also explained that she was looking forward to getting back to work as soon as she was “able.”
Since then, Prince William has shared some updates on his wife’s health during engagements.
In a video shared by Sky News earlier this month, he said that Middleton was “doing well” amid her treatment.