Exclusive: The important royal duties Kate Middleton must undertake immediately following the cancer battle
Now that she can put the last 12 months behind her, a royal expert says Kate Middleton will be throwing herself into the things that matter most to her - her children
This time last year Kensington Palace announced that Kate Middleton was undergoing a planned abdominal surgery for an undisclosed medical issue. But fast forward three months and in a deeply personal video, the Princess of Wales revealed that she’d been given a cancer diagnosis and had been undergoing chemotherapy since late February following a series of post-op tests.
The beginning of 2025, however, looks vastly different for Kate, who will turn 43 on January 9, and she will no doubt be busy throwing herself into the back-to-school jobs familiar with so many households across the UK. According to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, speaking exclusively to OK!, Kate likely has a “good deal” of optimism for this year after what was an incredibly difficult 12 months.
Kate will be preparing to get the kids back to school this week (
Will Warr))
“She will certainly be hoping for a very different January to last year’s,” Jennie said. “Now hopefully she can celebrate turning 43 with a good deal of optimism that the worst is behind her. I’m sure that as each week goes by she will continue to feel stronger.
“And she has a lot to look forward to— with her mother’s big birthday as well as plenty to do with her early years projects.”
Along with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis heading back to school after the festive break, Kate also has the two-year anniversary of her Shaping Us campaign to look forward to, and her mum Carole’s milestone 70th birthday on January 31.
The Shaping Us campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of the early childhood years, was one of Kate’s biggest launches as a senior royal, and falls under the umbrella of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. It was launched during a star-studded ceremony on January 31, 2023, at the BAFTA headquarters in London and has been a regular feature on Kate’s royal diary ever since.
The family made some more happy memories at Christmas (
PA)
Speaking about what it means to her, Kate previously said: “Investing in a child is ultimately an investment in our future societal health and happiness, but to achieve this vision we need the whole of society to play its part.”
According to royal expert Jennie, now that Kate is back at work she will likely be very conscious of striking the right balance between her role as senior royal, and a mum of three at home with her family.
“Life with three children is never going to be quiet, and I think Catherine will be throwing herself into supporting them as they return to school, and rejoicing that a truly rotten year has now ended,” she said. “I think she will continue to take her return to full time royal duties slowly, but I’m sure we shall be seeing more of her on official engagements in the coming months.”
