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Kate Middleton’s ‘Positivity and Radiance Give People Hope’: ‘The Future of the Monarchy’
The Princess of Wales looked radiant as she took her seat in the royal box amid a standing ovation at the men’s singles final tennis match at Wimbledon July 14. Joined by her daughter, Princess Charlotte, 9, and sister, Pippa Middleton, the 42-year-old, the patron of the All England Tennis and Croquet Club, was touched by the warm reception as the ovation continued, marveling to a companion, “So sweet!”
It was just the second time the mom of three has been seen in public since revealing that she’s been undergoing preventive chemotherapy for cancer. With her father-in-law, King Charles III, also battling cancer and other royals sidelined (Prince Andrew following a sex-trafficking scandal and Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle after they turned their backs on the crown), she’s been missed. “This doesn’t mark an official return to public duties and there is absolutely no pressure for her to, she’s still undergoing cancer treatment, but everyone is hoping and praying for a full recovery,” an insider tells In Touch exclusively. “The people love Kate and courtiers know by now she’s the future of the monarchy because of it.”
Though the former commoner, who wed Prince William, 42, in 2011, looked regal as she presented the Wimbledon trophy to winner Carlos Alcaraz, she wasn’t always in such favor. In her 20s, she was dubbed “Waity Katie” by the press for seemingly stopping her life until William proposed, while she and Pippa were also called the “Wisteria Sisters” for their apparent social climbing. But the mom to Prince George, 11, and 6-year-old Prince Louis seemed to adopt The Firm’s credo of “never complain, never explain” and smiled and waved her way through. “Kate knew what she was getting into when she married William,” says the insider. “Since then, she’s grown into a confident and beloved figure.”
Still, the secrecy around her shocking diagnosis led to a few missteps, including a badly edited photograph of her and the children she was forced to apologize for. More recently, she has been more transparent about her recovery, releasing a June 14 statement saying she has “good days and bad days.”
Her Wimbledon appearance was certainly welcome — both by royal fans and the palace itself. With Charles, 75, determined to slim down the monarchy while keeping it relevant, a popular figure like Kate is in high demand. But the source says she’s determined to put her health first. “She would attend more events if she could, but as she said herself, she’s ‘not out of the woods yet,’” says the insider. “It’s not known when she will be at this point, but her positivity and radiance give people hope she’s well on her way.” Ironically, adds the source, her time away from the public eye in the early days of her illness gave her some insight into why Harry and Meghan stepped away from royal duties. “She can imagine how liberating it must feel for them.”
She, however, has been trained to put duty first. “It’s all for king and country,” says the insider. “She’s more than proved she’s able to carry the mantle.”
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