All of the post-Trooping the Colour keenery has been interesting to watch, although I’m sure I missed some of it. My genuine happiness at seeing the Princess of Wales has shifted over to annoyance at the canonization commentary of “Saint Kate, who is better than the lesser mortals with cancer.” I’m also fascinated by Buckingham Palace’s very obvious shift away from Kate’s presence at Trooping and overemphasizing the importance of Charles being seen with his Wales grandchildren. All in all, a wealth of competing PR narratives and general weirdness. Well, Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair has a new piece. It looks like the Middletons are finally taking her calls too.
The announcement that the Princess of Wales was to attend Trooping the Colour came late on Friday, and it all but guaranteed a record turnout. The palace had previously indicated that the princess, who had not been seen in public since Christmas Day, would not carry out any public engagements while undergoing cancer treatment. Kate, who is Colonel of the Irish Guards, did not attend last week’s. However, after turning a corner on her health journey, Kate, who is undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy, decided that she wanted to attend.
“It was the Princess’s decision and hers alone,” a source close to the family told Vanity Fair. “Catherine discussed the idea with William and with the King after having the OK from her medical team. Thankfully she has been feeling much better recently and Trooping has been something of a goal for her to work towards.”
Immaculately dressed in a white Jenny Packham dress and Jimmy Choo heels, coordinating smartly with her children’s navy and white outfits, the Princess looked radiant and happy. Aware that the cameras would be trained on her, she smiled almost constantly, but there were occasional moments when she appeared pensive, and after standing for an hour to watch the ceremony at Horse Guards, she gratefully accepted a seat.
The King has been a pillar of support to the Princess following her cancer diagnosis and has confided to friends that their shared experience has brought them even closer. Their warm and easy banter certainly showed the closeness between them. Charles had told his medical team and aides that his appearance at Trooping was “non-negotiable” and he was delighted that his daughter-in-law was well enough to be by his side for the occasion.
Variations of “The king was delighted that Kate was there” have been briefed far and wide, as if to block the narrative that Charles was mad that Kate’s presence pulled focus from him and she stole his parade thunder. I genuinely believe that Charles does feel like Kate stole his thunder (after all, he was reportedly furious last year when she turned up to the Chelsea Flower Show on the same day), but he also understands that Kate and the kids couldn’t stay hidden forever, and it was better to exhibit her in a controlled fashion, where he could get some personal mileage out of it (the “grandpa keenery”).
All of which to say, I seriously doubt that “It was the Princess’s decision and hers alone.” Whatever has been happening behind the scenes for the past six months, Kate’s Trooping appearance had the feel of something stage-managed and ordered by Charles and his courtiers. Remember, I’ve been saying that Buckingham Palace wrested control of KP’s communications in mid-March, after the frankenphotos and bizarre/staged “sightings.” BP has clearly been “in charge” of the Kate situation since March 18th or thereabouts.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.