Palace Shares Update On Kate Middleton's Return To Royal Duties Amid Cancer Treatment

Kate Middleton isn’t returning to work just yet.

Despite a new report concerning the Princess of Wales’ initiative with the Center for Early Childhood, it remains unclear when she will officially resume public duties amid her cancer treatment. Kensington Palace reportedly issued a statement to the BBC on Monday clarifying that Kate “is not expected to return to work until it’s cleared by her medical team.”

Royal spokespersons previously said that Kate, 42, would be maintaining her privacy until at least Easter, but nearly two months later there has yet to be a definitive update on the timeline.

“Early childhood will continue to be central to her public work,” the new statement added.

The latest development comes as Prince William continues his own royal duties, most recently hosting a garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 21. Earlier this month, he said during an official visit to an English hospital that the princess is “doing well.”

In April, the future king met workers at Surplus to Supper, an organization dedicated to redistributing food to communities in need, where he received cards for Kate and his father, King Charles, who is also facing cancer.

William thanked the volunteer for her “kind” and thoughtful gifts and he also reportedly promised to “look after” Kate as she continues her health journey.

Following rampant speculation about her whereabouts and well-being earlier this year, the mom of three issued an emotional video statement about her health in March and announced that she would be undergoing preventive chemotherapy.

“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. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my 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 at the time.

Kate’s most recent public appearance was for the family’s annual Christmas church outing at Sandringham in December 2023. In January, the palace revealed that she’d had a “planned abdominal surgery” that required a two-week hospital stay.