Us Weekly’s cover story this week is “How Kate’s Life Has Changed,” all about how the Princess of Wales is doing now that she’s “completed chemotherapy” and declared herself “cancer-free.” I find it interesting that Us Weekly is doing this very soft-focus cover about a month after the Sussexes authorized their staffers to speak on the record about what Meghan is like as a boss. It’s almost like, “here, Kate, we’ll give you something too” as they pat her on the head. Anyway, as you can imagine, there’s a lot of wheel-spinning and promises to eventually be keen in this Kate story. Some highlights:
The Waleses trip to Southport: “It was a reminder of what a powerful tag team they are,” royal expert and The King: The Life of Charles III author Christopher Andersen shared in the latest issue of Us Weekly, noting that William looked “deeply grateful to have his favorite person by his side.”
When Kate will get back to work: “Kate loves reconnecting with the community and representing her family, but she’s also trying to find a balance between her duties and personal well-being,” explains an insider. “She appreciates the sense of purpose but wants to ensure her stress levels don’t get [too high].”
She’ll take on a less-demanding royal role as she continues to prioritize her health: “Kate has a lot more energy than she did even a few weeks ago,” Andersen tells Us. “She’s tremendously relieved that the treatments seem to have worked and she can call herself cancer-free, but she’s not taking anything for granted. She’s following doctor’s orders,” he adds. “[It’s] baby steps. More than anyone, Kate wanted to let the world know that after months of grueling chemotherapy, she was going to be OK.”
Again with the Southport visit: While Kate’s October 10 visit to Southport alongside William was a surprise and intentionally kept low-key, her decision to join was not last-minute but came down to how well she felt that day. “She loves the work, but it can be tiring,” says the insider, noting that Kate is taking things day by day. The couple reportedly spent 90 minutes in private with the families of three young girls who lost their lives in the attack on the Taylor Swift–themed holiday workshop.
Not back to full strength: “Kate has been [doing this] for some time but is not yet back to full strength,” says Andersen. “It will be some time — certainly months — before we see her plunge headlong into a full-time schedule.” A second insider says the Palace “has scaled things back in terms of not having her travel too much too soon,” and Charles III author Robert Hardman tells Us there’s a “sense of practical optimism” within The Firm. “Kate is certainly conscious that she mustn’t overstress herself.”
Careful not to overdo it: The first insider notes that getting back out there is just as important to her healing and wellness. “It’s a double-edged sword. [Working] is good for her emotional well-being, but she needs to be careful not to overdo it. She is determined, motivated and taking care of herself along the way.”
William is relieved. “Now that Kate is resuming some of her work, William is seeing real evidence that maybe things can return to normal,” says Andersen. He’s happy to let her set her own pace. “[The kids] will always be Kate’s priority, and I don’t think William begrudges her that at all,” he adds. “As a matter of fact, I think he’s very grateful. He’s not going to push her into doing anything she doesn’t want to do, and he took the same attitude before her diagnosis.”
The couple’s dynamic has changed over the last few months. “They love being together all the time,” says the first insider, and that William never takes a day for granted. “He knows how much worse it could have been if they hadn’t caught [the cancer] and treated it in time.” At home, the prince has helped with cooking and cleaning. “They don’t like having staff around at all hours, so William has been stepping it up,” adds the insider. “Kate thinks that’s been very cute and sweet.”
“It will be some time — certainly months — before we see her plunge headlong into a full-time schedule” – there it is. Yet another story which resets the recovery timeline and kicks the can down the road even further. They bought themselves time until February of next year by my calculations. February is when people will start to ask if Kate is well enough to do one event a week. They’ll be told no, she isn’t, and we’ll be given a variation of this story – the stress is bad for her, the poor sausage cannot be expected to overwork, she’s just listening to her doctors, after all. The thing is, people will buy it because no one has ever seen Kate as a full-time royal anyway. She’s been part of the Firm since 2010, when she got engaged to William. Fourteen years of never working full-time, and now she’s not going to do part-time either.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of Us Weekly.