Publicly, Kensington Palace sought to downplay Kate Middleton’s last-minute decision Wednesday to pull out of making an appearance at the Royal Ascot horse-racing festival.
But behind the scenes, palace insiders revealed to the Daily Beast that the sudden decision by Catherine, the Princess of Wales, to withdraw from such a high-profile event set off “a real sense of panic” and concern about a possible downturn in her health.
It was just six months ago that the future queen said she was in remission from an unspecified form of cancer, which had kept her from attending Ascot and many other royal events last year. To observers, Kate seemed well enough at Trooping the Color on June 14 and Garter Day on June 16. As of noon Wednesday, according to The Telegraph, Kate was still on the “carriage list,” expected to ride with Prince William. But she canceled less than an hour later.
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – JUNE 16: Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attending the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on June 16, 2025 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“Everyone was wandering around going, ‘What is going on?’” a former courtier told the Daily Beast. “One minute she was going, and the next she wasn’t. This is one of the biggest days of the year in the royal calendar; you don’t just miss Ascot on a whim, so there was a real sense of panic.”
The former courtier, who reportedly retains good links to Kensington Palace staff, also said: “The chaotic nature of the announcement was eerily reminiscent of the dark days of last year. People were bewildered and worried.”
The “dark days of last year” is a reference to those first four months in 2024, when there was a near total black-out on news about Kate’s health, following the stunning news in January 2024 that the seemingly healthy mother of three had undergone major abdominal surgery for a health condition that Kensington Palace wouldn’t reveal. The palace also would only say that she would spend a lengthy and concerning two weeks in the hospital recovering from the surgery and miss out on a number of high-profile royal events for the foreseeable future.
For the next few months, the palace’s refusal to say anything more about Kate’s “personal medical information” led to growing worldwide speculation and wild internet conspiracy theories about her well-being, with people wondering if she’d left William, had a nervous breakdown or was even dying. Finally, in March 2024, Kate announced herself, via a recorded video, that she had cancer, though she wouldn’t offer information about the form of cancer or her prognosis.
In September 2024, Kate announced, via another recorded video, that she had finished “preventative chemotherapy.” In January, she followed up to say she was in remission. To her credit, the Daily Beast said, Kate warned the public that her plans for public appearances would be subject to change as she continues her recovery.
On Wednesday, the palace appeared to follow her lead with sources saying she was “disappointed” to miss Ascot but that she was still trying to find “balance” between fulfilling royal duties and focusing on her long-term recovery.
Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden reported that William appeared to be in good spirits, switching to ride in a carriage with King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince Saud bin Khalid al-Saud, a key member of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family.
A friend of the princess sought to bolster the palace message message by telling the Daily Beast: “My understanding is that Kate was basically exhausted after Trooping the Color on Saturday and Garter Day on Monday and couldn’t face it. There are good days and bad days, as she herself has very candidly said.”
Another friend similarly told Eden: “Catherine knows she should not overdo things. She is grateful that her recovery has gone well, but things have not been plain sailing.”
The Telegraph said that Kate has gradually increased her workload in recent months but has made clear that her More recently, she has gradually been increasing her workload but has made clear that her focus remains on her health.