Princess Catherine got back to her royal duties in a surprising way earlier this month when she showed up alongside her husband, Prince William, in the town of Southport, England.
She was there to visit the victims and witnesses to the awful July 29 stabbing attack on several children during a Taylor Swift-related event. But the event was big news not only for that worthwhile reason, but also because Kate Middleton herself had only recently completed chemotherapy following her cancer battle that spanned much of this year.
Now, insiders are speaking about what led to Catherine’s unexpected appearance alongside William at that event — and what it means for her continued cancer fight and post-chemotherapy recovery.
Related: Princess Catherine Is DONE Trying To Play Peacemaker Between William And Harry!
On Wednesday, Us Weekly spoke with royal expert and author Christopher Andersen about Kate’s post-chemo turn. Specifically regarding that Southport appearance with William, Andersen acknowledged that the prince looked “deeply grateful to have his favorite person by his side,” and added:
“It was a reminder of what a powerful tag team they are.”
Aw!
An unnamed insider dished more about that, too:
“Kate loves reconnecting with the community and representing her family, but she’s also trying to find a balance between her duties and personal well-being. She appreciates the sense of purpose but wants to ensure her stress levels don’t get [too high].”
Now, Kate is trying to get back to normal — or, whatever her new normal might look like. She’ll take on a less-demanding royal role for a while from here, per the mag. The 42-year-old is also going to prioritize spending more time time with her husband, as well as with her children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. Andersen explained:
“Kate has a lot more energy than she did even a few weeks ago. She’s tremendously relieved that the treatments seem to have worked and she can call herself cancer-free, but she’s not taking anything for granted. She’s following doctor’s orders. [It’s] baby steps.”
The royal expert also explained that it is still going to be quite a bit of time before Kate can get back up to full speed. Even as she’s been “starting to do a little work from home,” Andersen cautioned:
“Kate has been [doing this] for some time but is not yet back to full strength. It will be some time — certainly months — before we see her plunge headlong into a full-time schedule.”
Understandable!
Furthermore, a second anonymous insider has also indicated that Buckingham Palace has “scaled things back in terms of not having her travel too much too soon.” Nevertheless royal author Robert Hardman revealed that there is a “sense of practical optimism” within The Firm at this point regarding Kate’s health. He said:
“Kate is certainly conscious that she mustn’t over-stress herself.”
While the first anonymous insider echoed those claims, too:
“It’s a double-edged sword. [Working] is good for her emotional well-being, but she needs to be careful not to overdo it. She is determined, motivated and taking care of herself along the way.”
There will be one major move from here, though: Kate is likely to take on new causes as she returns to royal duties. Specifically, that’ll almost certainly include cancer research and treatment issues in addition to her previous work on early childhood development, first responders, and mental health.
Related: Princess Catherine’s Brother James Reveals What She’s REALLY Like!
Andersen noted that “there’s no doubt that she will continue to speak firsthand about what it’s like to battle [cancer],” while the second anon insider added:
“Sharing her story has given her a lot of purpose. We will see her supporting cancer research charities more in the future.”
Love that!
Thankfully, life for the kids hasn’t changed as much as you might have expected considering what Kate went through this year. As Andersen noted, both Kate and William are increasingly optimistic that they can steer things back to normalcy:
“William and Kate have gone to great lengths to reassure them that all will be well, and all three children so far have proven to be incredibly adaptive. Their lives have really not changed much. Now that Kate is resuming some of her work, William is seeing real evidence that maybe things can return to normal. [The kids] will always be Kate’s priority, and I don’t think William begrudges her that at all. As a matter of fact, I think he’s very grateful. He’s not going to push her into doing anything she doesn’t want to do, and he took the same attitude before her diagnosis.”
And as far as the couple themselves is concerned, it sounds like the diagnosis made them draw down to what is important. The first source noted:
“They love being together all the time. [William] knows how much worse it could have been if they hadn’t caught [the cancer] and treated it in time.”
Before adding this tidbit about William “stepping it up” around the house:
“They don’t like having staff around at all hours, so William has been stepping it up. Kate thinks that’s been very cute and sweet.”
Ooooh! A man who cooks and cleans?! We are OBSESSED with that!
In the end, Kate continues to be blown away by the support she’s gotten from people all over the world amid her fight. The second anonymous source explained:
“It gave a lot of light to her dark time.”
And Andersen wrapped things up on a positive note:
“[She sees] how it can change in the blink of an eye. Kate knows the cancer could show up again, but for the moment, she’s looking on the bright side. She feels a cloud has been lifted, and she’s excited about the future.”
We’re excited about her future, too. And we truly hope that the “cloud has been lifted” for good!
We’re rooting so hard for Kate! What about U??
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
