Kate Middleton is slowly returning to work after completing chemotherapy earlier this fall, but it sounds like it’s going to be awhile before she’s fully back in action. According to a source close to the royals, Kate still isn’t considered “fully recovered,” and that means that 2025 likely won’t be a “normal” year for the Princess of Wales or her workload, either.
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Right now, Kate's priority is her health, not her work.
“She is focused on herself and her family right now, rightly,” a royal insider told People this week, adding that she has “not fully recovered” after receiving a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
By all appearances, Kate looks great when she does attend events, but of course, that doesn’t tell the whole story.
It could be a while before we see her taking on a similar workload to what she's juggled in the past.
“She won’t be going back to work in the same way for a long time,” one source said.
Kate’s health crisis also has given her a new perspective on her life and what’s important, and royal expert Sally Bedell Smith told the magazine that Kate is “very much in control” of what her return to work and her public life will look like.
Her family is more of a priority to her than ever.
“Life-threatening illnesses bring a reconsideration of priorities. She and William have always made it clear that family is the most important thing,” another insider told People. “You can’t go through something like that and come out the other side unchanged. She is a different person now.”
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Meanwhile, Will and Kate are still planning for their eventual succession to the throne behind the scenes.
When Prince William eventually becomes king, circumstances will be very different for their family. Knowing this, it sounds like they’re enjoying their ability to stay low key for a bit while they still can. “Given what the future holds, it would be very sensible to build back slowly and prioritize family time,” an insider added.
Kate will continue to be 'strategic' about which events she takes on.
Just in the past month, we’ve seen Kate appear at a state visit and host her annual Christmas carol service, so it appears she’s choosing higher priority events for now rather than saying yes to everything like she once would have. As Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary, Ailsa Anderson, told People, this will likely continue for a while.
“They can’t raise people’s expectations with lots of engagements only for her to face a setback, not feel well, and things are canceled,” she said. “The strategy of an unexpected visit gives her flexibility. She doesn’t have the pressure of feeling she has to turn up.”
