The royal family hasn’t tried to hide just how challenging a year 2024 has been for them, so it makes sense if it has changed them and their perspective on life along the way. According to insiders, Kate Middleton is a “different person” after being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy in the past year, and it sounds like her mindset shift could change her relationship with work and the public because of it.
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We've seen a lot of Kate in recent weeks.
At least, it seems like a lot compared to her public appearances over the past year. In December, Kate made high-profile appearances on multiple occasions, including when she hosted her annual Christmas carol service, Together At Christmas. According to Tatler, while filming the special, Kate told singer Paloma Faith, “I didnât know this year was going to be the year that I’ve just had.”
How busy she's been in December may not reflect her 2025 plans.
As Tatler pointed out, royal author Robert Hardman has told People that it’s impossible to know what to expect from Kate in the coming months.
âWe are being encouraged not to look at this as a chapter thatâs over and then itâs back to normal, because cancer doesnât work like that,â he said. âThe details remain private, but thereâs no sense of trying to gloss over the reality that itâs an unpredictable disease.â
A source close to the princess of Wales emphasized how much she's changed.
âLife-threatening illnesses bring a reconsideration of priorities. She and William have always made it clear that family is the most important thing,” the source recently told People. âYou canât go through something like that and come out the other side unchanged. She is a different person now.”
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Kate has leaned on her family during this time.
And not just the royals, either. Former royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! magazine that Kate’s parents have been “vital” in her recovery.
“I think a shout-out should also go to Carole and Michael Middleton, who have undoubtedly been a vital part of the family this year, both practically and emotionally. I’m sure William and Catherine leaned on them very hard during their darkest days,” Jennie said, via the Mirror.
George, Charlotte, and Louis have also reportedly been instrumental in their mom's recovery.
“William and Catherine have been quite generous this year in allowing their children to be seen in public. It canât be easy for young people to face cameras, crowds and scrutiny, and the natural instinct of parents is to protect their children from too much attention,” Jennie told the Mirror.
“A year like they have just endured must, as William said, have been brutal for the entire family. But it seems clear that they have pulled together as a unit and they look very much in harmony and delighted to be out and about together again.â
