Princess of Wales drops out of Royal Ascot
The Princess attended three engagements last week, which included a Garter Day service, a museum tour and Trooping the Colour - Yui Mok/Getty Images
The Princess of Wales has pulled out of a planned appearance at Royal Ascot at the last minute.
The Princess was due to make a welcome return to the world-famous racing spectacle, having missed last year’s event when she was undergoing cancer treatment.
The carriage list, published at 12pm, listed the Princess alongside the Prince of Wales in the second carriage of the royal procession.
The Princess is said to be disappointed not to be attending but is still striving to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements.
She has made three public appearances in the last week, at the Garter Day service in Windsor, an engagement at the V&A Museum in east London and at Trooping the Colour.
The Prince and Princess of Wales at the Royal Ascot in 2023 - WireImage/Karwai Tang
The Princess of Wales shared a jolly moment with the Duchess of Edinburgh at Ascot in 2017 - Jason Dawson
The Princess was diagnosed with cancer following a major abdominal surgery last January.
She retreated from public life as she underwent a course of “preventative chemotherapy”, making only the odd public appearance over the following months.
Last September, the Princess revealed she had completed her treatment and in January, confirmed she was in remission.
More recently, she has gradually been increasing her workload but has made clear that her focus will remain firmly on her long-term recovery.
Despite the Princess’s eleventh-hour withdrawal, her mother, Carole Middleton, was all smiles as she was photographed at the Royal Ascot on Wednesday.
The King and Queen were due to lead the royal procession for the second consecutive day, joined in the first carriage by Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Saud and Lord Soames, the monarch’s close friend and former equerry.
In the second carriage, Prince William will travel alongside Justin Rose, one of Britain’s most successful professional golfers, and his wife.
In the third carriage, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will travel alongside the Earl and Countess of Halifax, while in the fourth, Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband Daniel are joined by author Robert Harris and his wife.
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