Royal Sources Spar Over Kate Middleton Reportedly Avoiding Public Appearances for the Rest of 2024

Middleton is seeking privacy during her cancer treatment, but three reports this weekend disagreed about her plans for returning to work.

By Michael Hein

This weekend saw conflicting reports about Kate Middleton's plans for public engagement in 2024, with implications about her health. The Princess of Wales is currently undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments for cancer, and she has been avoiding the public eye for months. Some insiders say she plans to take the rest of the year off, while others say she will be back as soon as possible.

This story began with The Daily Mail, where sources close to Middleton said that she would likely stay out of the public eye until at least autumn. A report by The Daily Beast a few days later took this even further. Sources described as "friends" of Middleton and Prince William said that the Princess of Wales will probably "not appear in public for the rest of the year." They said that Middleton is spending more time with her "birth family" these days and is focusing on her treatment, not her role as a royal heir.

Readers noted some major discrepancies between these two reports, and a third article in Vanity Fair on Tuesday complicated the issue even further. Sources told the outlet that the Daily Beast report was "inaccurate," but that the Daily Mail's estimation of an autumn return date was not reliable either. These insiders told Vanity Fair that Middleton is not planning her return that far in advance, but is focusing on her treatment completely.

"There is no timeline, and there is certainly no hurry. It will be when Catherine feels ready and when she gets the greenlight from her medical team. But she will 100 percent be coming back to work, of that there is no question," they said.

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This line of speculation seems to have been spurred by a report published by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood last week, which called on employers to adopt more flexible work schedules and operational plans so that employees could care for their children while keeping their jobs. Some reports described Middleton as a "driving force" behind that report, which confused commenters and pundits. They assumed this meant the Princess of Wales would be looking for ways to ease back into work as soon as possible, but that doesn't seem to be the case. All three articles mentioned above stress that Middleton is not basing her own plans on that report, but is intent on finishing her treatment first.

Vanity Fair's sources said that Middleton is doing well with her treatment, and has passed some promising milestones already. They said: "It has been a great relief that she is tolerating the medication and is actually doing a lot better. It has, of course, been a very challenging and worrying time. Everyone has rallied around her – William, her parents, and her sister and brother."

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