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Catherine, the Princess of Wales “may never come back” to work in her previous capacity as a senior royal after cancer treatment, it’s been claimed.
While Prince William recently told hospital workers Kate was “doing well” as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy, one source said it was possible the beloved royal may not return to official duties for quite some time.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Prince William gives an update on Princess Kate.
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Even then, it might be in a reduced capacity, with a lighter workload than she has undertaken in the past.
In announcing that Kate would not attend rehearsals for the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, scheduled for June 15, the Palace said the Princess would only return to active public duty “when she has had the green light from doctors”.
Her team was in the midst of “re-evaluating what she’s going to be able to take on when she comes back,” one source told Us Weekly.
“She may never come back in the role that people saw her in before.
“Her role may look very different.
“She’s looking at what it will shape into.”
Prince William gave a war veteran an update on Kate’s wellbeing as he attended an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Wednesday.
The conversation, filmed by a bystander and posted to X, shows William speaking with World War II veteran Geoffrey Weaving, 100, who asked the prince about his wife’s recovery.
“I was going to ask you if your wife was getting any better?” asked Weaving, who was in a wheelchair.
Bending down to be at his eye level, William remarked: “Yes … she would have loved to have been here today.”
Kate has not been seen in public since she revealed she had cancer, in a video in March this year.
The video was released after months of fervent speculation about her whereabouts after Kensington Palace said she would be taking a step back from public duties as she recovered from a planned abdominal surgery.
Kate’s children, George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5, have also largely been out of the public eye since her surgery.
King Charles III was himself diagnosed with cancer in February and has been undergoing treatment.
Doctors discovered the disease after he was hospitalised with an enlarged prostate, although the palace has said he does not have prostate cancer.
In late May, Charles and Camilla announced they would be delaying or cancelling certain royal engagements after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for a surprise general election in July.
Buckingham Palace released a statement stating the royals would cancel events that “may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign”.
That will ease the pressure on William, who has been flying solo at royal engagements since Kate’s treatment began.
“The announcement that the royals won’t be able to work as much has been unexpected, but it will allow Kate and William to spend more time together,” one source told Us Weekly.
“They’ve been reconnecting and are closer than ever.”
And while Kate has not been able to fulfil official duties, she has been seen running errands locally around Norfolk, where the family traditionally spends the English summer at a 10-bedroom country estate called Anmer Hall.
It’s believed Kate has been cooking and spending time with her kids, her mother Carole, and her sister Pippa Middleton.
“Kate’s feeling strong enough to be very involved with the kids,” one insider told Us Weekly.
“She’s been an active parent.”
Added another: “She’s not able to see many people because she is susceptible to getting sick and they don’t want her compromised, but she’s up and about.”