Princess Kate Is Avoiding the Spotlight After Wimbledon Appearance

"She will be back."

Kate Middleton at Wimbledon on July 14, 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Kate is planning to stay away from the spotlight after her surprise appearance at this year's Wimbledon Championships.

After the Princess of Wales delighted both royal watchers and tennis fans alike at this year's Wimbledon when she appeared alongside her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Middleton Matthews, the royal is reportedly going to avoid the public eye for the foreseeable future.

"Before, she used to live her life by the calendar, and now she is living her life, and the calendar comes in after," Robert Jobson, author of the new book Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, told People in an exclusive interview.

"She will be back, but when you have had an experience like this," he added, "it changes your perspective and the order of things."

Middleton has been mostly absent from the spotlight following her hospitalization in January and subsequent cancer diagnosis. She has only made two official public appearances since announcing she is undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer—this year's Trooping the Colour and the Wimbledon men's final.

Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte

(Image credit: Getty Images)

According to one insider close to the Princess of Wales, there were really only "two dates she wanted to make" in regards to a public appearance and despite her demanding cancer treatments and the undeniable tole they take physically, mentally and emotionally.

“She wanted to be at Trooping to support the King and at Wimbledon because she goes every year and it brings her great joy," the source recently told OK!.

Now, the source added, Middleton will live "below the radar" until she returns to royal duties, which could be as early as this fall or as late as the beginning of next year.

In June, Princess Kate gave royal fans an update on her health and wellness, posting on Kensington Palace's official Instagram account that she is "making good progress."

"But as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days," the royal continued in the caption. "On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.

The royal went on to say that her "treatment is ongoing and will be for a few months," which undoubtedly contributes to Middleton's decision to return to a more private life following to very public outings.

"On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home," she added.

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.