The Prince and Princess of Wales’ surprise video presentation last weekend, looking tanned and relaxed, to thank Britain’s Olympic heroes was the pick-me-up all royal watchers needed this summer.
With the rest of the family largely on holiday at Balmoral and elsewhere, there will be few public appearances until well into September.
And it will not have escaped anyone’s attention how happy William and Catherine looked after what one friend described as ‘the hardest year of their lives together’.
That does not mean that, as the princess herself recently said so openly, she is already ‘out of the danger zone’.
The Prince and Princess of Wales sent this congratulatory message to Team GB on Sunday
Her preventative chemotherapy treatment will continue through the summer – and possibly beyond – and her recovery, I understand, will take many months after this is completed.
She will continue to work privately and make public appearances when she can. Kensington Palace hopes to be able to provide guidance at some point in the future on what a return to “a more regular workload” might look like.
But it is important to emphasize that, according to a royal insider, they are ‘absolutely not at that stage yet’.
Asked if the princess’s fourth public appearance of the year (in person and on video) signaled a return to royal duties, a source said adamantly: “We’re not there yet. When we last heard from her before Trooping the Colour, she said her treatment would last into the summer and that’s what’s happening.
‘It’s been a hard, hard time, a very difficult year for the whole family. And as she said herself, she’s not there yet.
The direction is positive [but] there will be no big change [in terms of her public profile] after Sunday evening and no one is giving a timetable for her return.’
In the fetid depths of social media, you’ll always find someone with a negative opinion on the matter, despite Catherine’s unprecedented openness about her condition.
Within hours of her appearance at Wimbledon in July, internet trolls were shamefully criticising her ruddy appearance and even claiming she was genuinely ill.
While we shouldn’t give these individuals the publicity they so desperately crave, it’s important to emphasize how bad the internet has been this year when it comes to the royal family, and William and Catherine in particular.
While the couple tries to ignore such conjecture, the sad truth is that it has added an unbearable layer of tension to their lives, a tension that has at times proven downright painful.
The Princess of Wales announced in an emotional video message that she was undergoing cancer treatment in March
What most won’t realise is that Catherine had been feeling ill for some time leading up to her first abdominal surgery in January (Kensington Palace has not yet released any further details).
It was only after that ‘planned’ operation, for which she had to stay in the hospital for two weeks, that her cancer was discovered.
As always, she hid her suffering well, but those who knew her want to emphasize how hard it was for her.
“I don’t think people realize how much she’s been through behind the scenes and for how long, much longer than anyone realizes,” one person says.
‘She’s an incredibly strong woman, but she’s really been through wars.
“Her treatment and recovery remain a priority and will continue for some time.”
Another reliable source confirms this, adding: “Her continued treatment is the most important issue for her personally and for them as a family.
The 42-year-old Princess of Wales, who is undergoing cancer treatment, reassured the nation when she made another triumphant appearance in the spotlight at Wimbledon
“For everyone, there’s a lot of physical recovery after treatment is over. It’s not like flipping a switch.”
That means she certainly won’t be able to start right away in the fall, as some might have hoped after her radiant appearance last weekend. It will be a matter of ‘building up slowly’ for the princess, only getting started when she feels physically – and undoubtedly mentally – strong enough.
It is likely that she will continue to attend national events, such as Remembrance Sunday, in the future.
Of course, it was also a difficult time for her husband, Prince William.
Seeing his wife go through so much, protecting their young children, dealing with his father’s simultaneous cancer diagnosis and himself making the transition to Prince of Wales and heir to the throne… it’s a lot, even for his broad shoulders.
However, I have heard that things are finally ‘looking up’ and that the couple and their young family have had a ‘fantastic’ summer in Norfolk so far. They live at Anmer Hall, their home and retreat on the monarch’s estate at Sandringham.
Spending time outdoors – cycling, sailing and spending time with family and friends – puts colour back in their cheeks.
“They’ve made a clear and conscious decision to take some time for themselves as a family this summer. When you see them both looking so happy and relaxed with each other and so comfortable in each other’s company, it tells you a lot about where they’re at,” the insider notes, 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 grown some stubble – his summer “dad beard” – which has been so well-received on social media that some close to him are jokingly advising him to leave it until fall.
“It’s his “Hot Dad Summer,” laughs one, a reference to the “Hot Girl Summer” trend that Gen Z is so fond of.
Not that 42-year-old William had any plans to conquer the Internet.
We thought that having [the notorious rapper] Snoop Dogg in the video [to congratulate Great Britain’s Olympic team] would be what got everyone’s attention. Instead, everyone’s talking about the beard! Everyone thinks it’s really funny,’ I hear.
It is hoped that the family will be able to travel to Scotland to stay with the King at Balmoral as is customary at the end of the month. Traditionally, the Waleses have spent time at the royal estate over the Bank Holiday weekend.
William will return to work once Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis return to school early next month.
The Princess of Wales snapped this heartwarming photo of her husband jumping off sand dunes with Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, in Norfolk
While he continues to prioritize his wife and family, the future king is now expected to take on a fairly full schedule of royal duties again.
One of his first engagements will be a visit to the Saatchi Gallery in London to support an exhibition that aims to break down stereotypes about homelessness, organised by his Homewards initiative. Later this autumn he will move to Cape Town with his Earthshot environmental awards.
If all goes well, he is expected to be there, as he has had to cancel a number of other planned foreign trips this year due to his wife’s illness.
It’s all the better that he and Catherine have taken time out for themselves and their family this summer.
It has strengthened their unity. “They’ve always been a team, and what they’ve been through this year has only strengthened that,” a source said.
And when the princess is ready to return to a more public life, she will do so.
But for now, Catherine is still recovering day by day.
Although she seems to be doing better, the princess knows more than anyone that for the time being it is still important for her to walk, not run.