The Real Reason Kate Was Mysteriously Missing From William’s Special Event After Revealing She Still Can’t ‘Function Normally’ After Her Cancer
The agenda of everyone in the British royal family has become pretty scrutinized of late. There’s, of course, the fact that two members of the royal family have recently battled cancer, with Kate Middleton recovering and King Charles still in the middle of treatment. Then there’s the feud between King Charles and Prince Harry, which also involves Prince William, which always has people trying to catch clues about how the family is doing through their appearances.
One such recently scrutinized event was Prince William’s Royal Charity Polo Cup 2025, which took place at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor and raised money for various charities and causes. The Prince has played in the Cup for 14 straight years, with Kate supporting him from the sidelines in 2023 and missing the event amid her cancer treatment in 2024. This year, the Princess of Wales was once again absent, as she presumably looks to balance her public appearances better after her recovery.
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This comes as Kate Middleton recently spoke about her cancer recovery. In a conversation with patients and staff members of the NHS, she spoke about her health journey and how she’s learned to listen to her body. “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment,” she explained while visiting Colchester Hospital in Essex at the beginning of July. “Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult.”
“You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to,” she explained as she discussed the adjustment after treatment. “And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you, and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable.”
“You have to find your new normal and that takes time…and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be,” Middleton also said. “But the reality is you go through hard times.”
The Princess of Wales was first diagnosed with cancer in April 2024. She finished chemotherapy in September of that year. In January 2025, Middleton announced she was in remission. Her return to public life has, however, been gradual. Considering that, it’s not surprising she decided to skip this particular polo match. She and William appeared together not that long ago, as the King and Queen welcomed the French President with a state dinner.
The two of them also attended the Wimbledon men’s final alongside their oldest kids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Their youngest son, Prince Louis, did not attend the competition. He is younger than their siblings were when they first attended, so that part isn’t much of a surprise. Maybe next year the family can make an appearance at the event together.
For now, though, it looks like Kate Middleton will choose her public appearances much more carefully, particularly as she weathers the loss of her longtime right-hand woman, Natasha Archer, who was recently announced to be departing Kensington Palace to start her own private consultancy firm. It’s all part of finding her new normal after her treatment.
