I’m a Royal Reporter and There’s Something *Different* About Kate Middleton’s Return to the Spotlight

But with every new royal occasion this week, I noticed something striking: The Princess of Wales is back and—here’s the super empowering part—it’s on her own terms.

How so? Let’s rewind back to right before Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis and before all the wild and out-of-control speculation about her whereabouts. By the end of 2023—which also happened to be King Charles’s coronation year—it felt like the Princess of Wales had the weight of the royal world on her shoulders.

Following Harry and Meghan’s departure and the death of Queen Elizabeth II, royal patronages were redivided; a Kate appearance guaranteed front page coverage, which meant her royal calendar was on overdrive. She tended to her royal causes (like Shaping Us), showcased her many talents (like playing piano) and prioritized her busy family (George, Charlotte and Louis, but also Prince William—the pair celebrated 12 years of marriage that spring). All the while she hardly ever had a hair out of place.

But we have to imagine the pressure was great. As the late Queen Elizabeth famously remarked, you have to be seen to be believed—but in Kate’s case, and again, circa 2023, it felt like that entire adage was riding on her and the public couldn’t get enough. (I’ll never forget as I watched the coronation in London how the crowd reacted the biggest to Kate’s arrival—she was who they were there to see.)

Then, all of a sudden in 2024, the royal rug was pulled out from underneath her as it was revealed she was battling cancer. Coupled with King Charles, who was also diagnosed with the disease in February of that same year, the world was given a reminder that even a princess is merely a mortal. Kate took an indefinite step back.

Her return in early summer for the king’s birthday and Trooping the Colour was triumphant. Still, Kate—who is now in remission—recently made clear that her health journey continues: “Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” she shared on Instagram in September 2024. “I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months as I can.”

Back to the trio of Princess of Wales appearances: It’s exactly that vulnerable admission that makes moments like this past week so great. Unlike in 2023, the expectations placed upon her (both internal from the palace and external) have loosened. If Kate attends a royal occasion, fantastic! We love to see her, of course. But if she has to sit it out, more power to her—and there are plenty of other royals (Duchess Sophie for one, but also Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie) who can hold their own in the royal spotlight and step up to the plate, slimmed down monarchy be damned.

If anything it feels like Kate has been given the green light to prioritize what truly matters most to her, something that allows the royal occasions she does choose to show up at to be all the more compelling. In a world that continually pushes us all to do more, more, more, that’s not only meaningful, it’s gratifying—a royal reminder for us all to value thoughtful intention over biting off more than we can chew, by choice or not. (The monarchy and their tendency to put far too much pressure on royal women might benefit the most from this learning.)

Don’t get me wrong. There’s still a ton of pressure on Kate—mostly when it comes to not putting a hair out of place, something that feels especially fraught in the wake of her cancer experience. But the idea that the Princesss of Wales (and royal women in general) are without agency seems to be lifting.

It shouldn’t take a cancer diagnosis to get to that point, but here we are.