JUST 12 months on from announcing her cancer diagnosis, Kate Middleton has got her groove back, says a royal expert.
The Princess of Wales, who announced she was in remission in January, made her first public engagement alongside Prince William since before her illness.
Prince William and Princess Kate made their first joint public engagement in over 12 months[/caption]
The Princess of Wales received a warm welcome from the crowd as she visited Welsh business owners alongside her husband[/caption]
The royal couple visited Pontypridd Market in Wales to talk with local business owners about the impact of flooding caused by recent storms.
They also helped to cook up a batch of Welsh Cakes to mark St. David’s Day, which is celebrated on March 1.
And the 43-year-old’s warm reception proved that she is truly the crown jewel of the family, says royal expert Jennie Bond.
The expert spoke to OK! Magazine about how the recent heartache over the past year appears to have brought Kate and William, 42, closer together.
“It certainly seems to me that they have come through it as an even stronger couple – and they were already a strong and extremely loving couple,” she said.
“The film Catherine narrated at the end of her treatment was defined by the love and support they showed for one another and for their children.”
Kate, who has a busy calendar of engagements for the upcoming months, seems keen to continue working as much as she can.
However, the princess is still said to be prioritising family life wherever possible.
During their visit to Wales, she was spotted holding her husband’s hand at a railway station in a rare show of affection.
The excitement of the crowd also proved how happy people are to see her back and looking so healthy, having spent the last year focusing on her recovery.
“Catherine is looking fantastic and looks as if she is enjoying every engagement,” Jennie said.
“It certainly seems to me that she has got her mojo back and, although we are told this is still a gradual return to royal duties we are seeing more of her than many of us expected so early in the year.
“Moreover, the welcome she’s getting wherever she goes must make her realise that she is the star of the royal family.”
The princess, who finished chemotherapy treatment in September, reflected on how the experience has changed her.
“Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown,” she said.
Prince William is a pillar of strength for Kate Middleton
EXPERT analysis by author and royal expert, Ingrid Seward.
Steadfast when his family needed him, William has proved himself as a man and future monarch of strength and compassion.
While he might not have been present during Kate’s courageous video address — make no mistake, he has been by her side every step of the way.
William has stepped up with school-run duties and provided a “great source of comfort and reassurance” to his wife.
But he has also been a comforting and reassuring presence for the public.
From leading members of the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Day Service to enjoying cheerful banter with youngsters on a youth centre visit, he hasn’t put a foot wrong.
Even then there were few chinks in his facade — but Kate was clearly on his mind.
“She needs to be sat here to hear this,” he smiled when the discussion turned to the challenges of young families.
But ultimately he is only human.
To have your father and your wife diagnosed with cancer in such quick succession is heart-shattering.
It’s a remarkable insight into the character of this young man that he has been so incredibly brave.
Theirs is a very private turmoil which has been brought into the public arena by the nature of their roles as future King and Queen.
William must feel the weight of enormous responsibility, both personally and for the monarchy, of which he is now the public face.
But he knows his most important role is that of dad and husband.
He will make that his priority.
This is a distinct difference from the ways of the past, where your royal role came before the role of spouse and parent.
Think back to when the Queen was young.
William’s priority is his family
It was a man’s world then — and she was forced to abandon her children in a way that William is determined not to.
William and Kate waited until the school term was over and their children were home before making their public announcement.
They needed to be prepared.
In this, they will have had the wholehearted support of Charles — who knows what it feels like to be brought up by nannies.
William was also acutely aware of the lack of his own father’s presence in his life, especially when things went wrong.
In 1991, he was accidentally hit over the head with a golf club when he was at school and Diana was having lunch in her favourite restaurant San Lorenzo.
The call came through that William had been bashed on the head and they thought he might die so it was very serious.
Both Charles and Diana rushed down to Ludgrove.
William was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital and then to Great Ormond Street Hospital and Diana went with him.
But ever a man of duty, Charles prioritised his engagements.
William is determined to do things differently.
Jennie added: “I don’t think anyone is ever the same after an experience with cancer, William and Catherine must now cherish even more every single day that they spend together and with their children.
“Catherine has spoken about how something like this changes your whole perspective on life and makes you feel more vulnerable.”
And of course, it the Princess of Wales wasn’t the only royal to receive an upsetting diagnosis.
Buckingham Palace released a statement in February 2024, just one month before Catherine’s announcement, informing the public that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.
Former royal aide Jason Knauf spoke about the effect that both diagnoses had on Prince William.
A close confidant of the Prince of Wales, he revealed it was “the lowest” he’d ever seen William.
Kate has spoken previously about what a tough time it was for her family and how “life as you know it can change in an instant”.
Within a couple of weeks, you find out that both your wife and your father have cancer… It was awful, absolutely awful.
Jason Knauf
Despite the dignified and resilient face he put on to the public, William reflected on news, calling it the “hardest” time of his life.
At the end of last year, the prince reflected on how 2024 had been “brutal” for the family.
Jason – who was press secretary to William, Kate, Harry, and later Meghan from 2015 to 2019, and then CEO of the Royal Foundation until 2021 – spoke to 60 Minutes Australia about talking to William after the double blow diagnoses.
“Within a couple of weeks, you find out that both your wife and your father have cancer… It was awful, absolutely awful,” he said.
“It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.”
Jennie weighed in on the effect this shocking news must have had on the prince.
“Although William has told us that last year was brutal, we’ve only been able to imagine his despair when the call came through to tell them Catherine had cancer,” she said.
The royal couple revealed that they have a new perspective on life after a difficult 2024[/caption]
“But now Jason Knauf has brought home the reality of the situation, recounting how he had never seen William so down. It was clearly a really shocking day for them.
“Then, the reality of the treatment and the prognosis sinks in. The side-effects of the treatment were obviously physically wearing.”
She added how both Catherine and William also had to navigate how to tell their children and reassure them through the treatment process.
The Princess of Wales explained she wanted to tell Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six about her health first before informing the wider public.
“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she said at the time.
Kate, who underwent abdominal surgery in January 2024, revealed that it “took time” for her to regain her strength to undergo treatment.
“But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK,” she said.
And just a year later on 14 January 2025, the princess officially announced she was in remission.
Former royal aide Jason Knauf has become a close confidant of William, sharing how the prince struggled with both his wife and dad’s diagnoses last year[/caption]
