Should we worry about the Princess of Wales?

The announcement, when it came, was a strangely botched one. The official Ascot carriage list had stated at 12 p.m. that the Prince and Princess of Wales would be riding in the second carriage in the royal procession, accompanied by their friends Mr and Mrs Justin Rose.

It was already known that Prince William would be presenting the prizes at today’s race meeting, so there was inevitable excitement at his presence and that of his wife. Catherine always brings a touch of glamour to whatever occasion she graces, helped by, of course, the finest couture that money could buy. So it was an unexpected and disappointing change, made half an hour later, to discover that the Princess would not, in fact, be present, and that William would instead be riding in the first carriage with the King and Queen.

At first glance, this is a relatively minor story. Schedules change and sometimes information is put in the public domain which is swiftly proved to be inaccurate. No formal statement has been put out by Kensington Palace. It has, however, been said by various well-placed sources that the Princess is ‘disappointed’ that she will not be attending Ascot today, but that ‘she has to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements’. It has also been noted that, in the past week alone, she has undertaken three similarly high-profile engagements: Trooping the Colour, the Order of the Garter service and a visit to the V&A’s new London storage facility.

What has not been discussed is the state of Kate’s health. The sudden decision for her not to appear at Ascot will cause alarm and dismay amongst many. Catherine’s cancer diagnosis last year – at virtually the same time as the King’s – was one of the most shocking and unexpected developments in the royal family’s recent history.

While the Princess announced in January that she was in remission from her illness, there is still an inevitable balance between keeping an eye on her condition and making the public appearances that are part of the day job. It is particularly unfortunate that she has not been able to attend Ascot this year, partly because she also missed it in 2024. It is one of the few occasions when the royals can relax without having to be painfully conscious of being on show, as they very much were at Trooping the Colour. It is hard not to feel that she has missed the fun event after attending all the more solemn ones.

However, the wider question remains – as it does with the King’s health – of whether there is genuine transparency about the state of their recoveries and whether their subjects deserve more detailed information than they are currently receiving. Certainly, both the King and Princess of Wales would argue that their wellbeing is as much a private and personal issue as it is a matter of national importance, and few would disagree with this. Yet it is hard to avoid the suspicion, once again, that a rushed announcement and a lack of clarity as to what has led to a change of plans is concealing something more serious than is being made public. Reassurance would be extremely welcome; a greater degree of candour, even more so.