Princess of Wales: Insider reveals Kate’s ‘toughest year’ more challenging than anyone realises

Looking tanned and relaxed, the surprise video appearance by the Prince and Princess of Wales at the weekend to thank Britain’s Olympic heroes was the summer lift that all royal watchers needed.

With the extended family largely now on holiday at Balmoral and elsewhere, public appearances will be few and far between until well into September. And few could fail to have been struck by just how happy William and Catherine looked after what one friend describes as the “toughest year of their lives together”.

That’s not to say, as the princess herself so openly put it recently, that she is “out of the woods” yet.

Her preventative chemotherapy treatment continues over the summer – and possibly even beyond – while her recovery will be ongoing for many months to come once this is concluded, I understand.

She will continue to work privately and engage publicly as and when she can.

Kensington Palace hopes to provide guidance at some point in the future about what a return to “a more regular workload” might look like.

But it is important to stress that they are absolutely “not at that stage yet”, according to one royal insider.

Asked if the Princess’s fourth public appearance (in person and on video) of the year signalled a return to royal duties, a source said firmly: “We are not there yet. When we last heard from her ahead of Trooping the Colour, she said her treatment was going on into the summer and that’s what’s happening.

“It’s been a rough, rough time, a really difficult year for the entire family. And as she herself said, she is not out of the woods yet.

“The direction is positive (but) there will not be great change [in terms of her public profile] after Sunday night and no one is giving a timescale for her return.’

In the fetid depths of social media, you will always find someone with an unkind opinion on the matter, despite Catherine’s quite unprecedented levels of openness about her condition.

Within hours of her appearance at Wimbledon in July, trolls were already disgracefully picking apart her rosy-cheeked appearance, even casting aspersions on how ill she has really been.

Whilst we mustn’t give these individuals the oxygen of publicity they clearly crave, it is important to highlight just how rancid the internet has been this year when it comes to the Royal Family – William and Catherine in particular.

While the couple try to ignore such conjecture, the sad truth is that it has added an unbearable layer of strain to their lives, one that has proved to be downright distressing at times.

What most will not appreciate is that Catherine had actually been unwell for some time in the run-up to her initial abdominal surgery in January (further details of which have not been made public yet by Kensington Palace).

It was only after that “planned” operation, of course, which left her in hospital for two weeks, that her cancer was discovered. As always she hid her suffering well, but those who know her are keen to emphasise just what a tough time it has been.

“I don’t think people realise how much she has gone through behind the scenes and for how long, far longer than anyone actually appreciates,” says one.

“She’s an incredibly strong woman, but she really has been through the wars. her treatment and recovery is still a priority and will be ongoing for some time to come.”

Another well-placed source confirms this, adding: “Her continuing treatment is the key issue for her personally and for them all as a family. For anyone, there is a lot of physical recovery after treatment finishes. It’s not like flipping a switch.”

“People want this to be over as a sign that she’s back to health [but] they understand how serious this has been.”

This means that far from hitting the ground running in the autumn, as some might have hoped after her glowing appearance at the weekend, it will continue to be a “slow build” for the princess, taking on things as and when she feels physically – and, no doubt, mentally – strong enough.

She is likely to continue to attend keynote national events, such as Remembrance Sunday.

It’s been a difficult time, too, of course, for her husband, Prince William.

Seeing his wife go through so much, trying to protect their young children, dealing with his father’s simultaneous cancer diagnosis and his own personal transition to become Prince of Wales and heir to the throne … that’s a lot for even his broad shoulders.

However, I am told things are finally “moving in the right direction” and the couple and their young family have enjoyed a ‘fabulous’ summer so far in Norfolk, living at Anmer Hall, their home and sanctuary on the monarch’s Sandringham estate.

Spending time outdoors – cycling, sailing and hanging out with family and friends – has put colour back in all their cheeks. ‘They made a clear and conscious decision to take time out as a family this summer.

“Seeing them both looking so happy and relaxed with each other and so comfortable in each other’s company tells you a lot about where they are,’”one insider remarks, suggesting that the old adage “what doesn’t break you, makes you stronger” is as true for the royals as it is for the rest of us.

William has even cut loose and grown some stubble – his summer “dad beard” – which has gone down so well on social media that some in his circle are jokingly advising him to keep it come the autumn.

“It’s his “hot dad summer’,” laughs one, a play on the “hot girl summer” trend so loved by Gen Z. Not that William, 42, planned to take the internet by storm.

“We thought that having (the notorious rapper) Snoop Dogg in the video (to congratulate Great Britain’s Olympic team) would be what caught everyone’s eye. Instead, all people are talking about is the beard! everyone finds it very funny,” I’m told.

It is hoped the family will be able to travel to Scotland to stay with the King at Balmoral as usual at the end of this month.

Traditionally the Waleses spent time around the Bank holiday weekend on the royal estate.

William will return to work as soon as Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis return to school early next month. While he will continue to prioritise his wife and family, it is anticipated the future king will now start to take on a fairly full programme of royal duties again.

One of the first engagements he will undertake is visiting the Saatchi Gallery in London to support an exhibition to challenge stereotypes around homeless people organised by his homewards initiative, and later this autumn his earthshot environmental awards move to Cape Town.

All things being well, he is expected to be there, having been forced to cancel several other planned foreign visits this year due to his wife’s illness.

So much the better, then, that he and Catherine have taken time out for themselves and their family this summer. It’s strengthened them as a unit.

“They’ve always been a team, and what they have been through this year has only cemented that,” says a source. And when the Princess is ready to return to a more public life, she will.

For now, however, Catherine continues to take her recovery one day at a time. While she happily appears to be getting better, the princess, more than anyone, knows that for the time being it’s still important for her to walk, not run.