The Princess of Wales was nothing short of stunning at Saturday’s Trooping the Colour—her first foray back into royal life and public duty since her diagnosis of cancer earlier this year. Prior to Saturday, Kate hadn’t been seen at a royal engagement since Christmas Day nearly six months prior; she underwent a planned abdominal surgery at The London Clinic in January that ultimately detected cancer, and announced that fact, bravely, to the world on March 22. She has been receiving treatment since.
Royal author Katie Nicholl has been covering the royals since Kate married into the family—the first, according to her website, to reveal that Prince William and Kate were getting married (and, she added, “even managed to get hold of the official wedding guest list”). So, simply put? Nicholl knows Kate. She has studied her—extensively. She’s reported on her for well over a decade. And, as she told Entertainment Tonight, Kate’s “immaculate” appearance at Trooping the Colour took a toll on her, as we should remember that, in Kate’s own words, she’s “not out of the woods” just yet and still has a few more months of chemotherapy left to go.
“The princess has this sort of swan-like quality about her—she’s sort of gliding on the surface, but beneath the water, I think often she’s paddling quite frantically,” Nicholl said. “I can only imagine that a huge amount of preparation and time and effort and energy will have gone into Saturday’s appearance.”
Nicholl noted, very correctly, that “She was on her feet for a long period of time”—and in heels, at that. “There was a moment where she was watching the parade and was offered a seat, which she gratefully accepted. That’s just a bit of an acknowledgment that she is not as strong, not as fit, as she was before she went into this treatment.”
Even through her treatment, Nicholl said that Kate “looked impeccable,” and added that “If you didn’t know that she was going through cancer treatment, you would never have guessed.”
But, Nicholl continued, “I think a day like Saturday—where she knows the eyes of the world are on her, there is a huge amount of scrutiny—that will take its toll,” she said. “I think we can probably imagine that she probably had a long and well-deserved rest afterwards. I don’t think we can expect to see her in public for a little while. That’s going to take some recovery from.”
