The 173 days Kate was away left a huge hole in the nation’s hearts: NATASHA LIVINGSTONE on the shock felt inside and outside Palace walls during the Princess of Wales’s cancer battle

Wear Princess Diana‘s earrings and a royal blue coat from Alexander McQueen, Kate’s megawatt smile as she held her children’s hands and greeted the Sandringham crowd Christmas Day, gave away no indication that anything was wrong.

Buoyed by the joyous success of her star-studded carols days earlier at Westminster Abbey, she looked set for a fantastic year, with talk of a glamorous trip to Italy.

But as the whole world now knows, that patina of good health and happiness was an illusion.

Kate’s attendance at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk would be her last formal public appearance for six months.

Kate’s attendance at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk would be her last formal public appearance for six months

Her absence – a very long 173 days until yesterday’s Trooping the Color – has left a huge hole in the heart of the nation

Kate was last seen at a royal event at the church in Sandringham on December 25, 2023

Her absence – a very long 173 days until yesterday’s Entering the color – has left a huge hole in the heart of the nation.

As always, it is often only when we miss someone that we realize how much we cherish them.

After December 25, the princess did not whisper for 23 days. Maybe that wasn’t surprising. January is a quiet month on the royal calendar. But then a heartbreaking announcement, out of the blue, on a freezing Wednesday afternoon, changed everything.

The princess, Kensington Palace announced, had undergone ‘planned abdominal surgery’ the day before, January 16 – exactly a week after her 42nd birthday.

The procedure had been successful and her condition was not thought to be cancerous, but assistants said she would remain in hospital for up to a fortnight.

Ninety minutes later, Buckingham Palace announced even more shocking news: King Charles would be treated at the same London hospital for an enlarged prostate. Suddenly the core of the monarchy shifted from palaces to the polished wards of the London Clinic. Royal engagements were replaced by bedside visits, and ceremonial robes were replaced by medical gowns.

After twelve nights, the king and princess were both discharged on January 29. While Charles waved to well-wishers as he left the front door with Camilla, Kate discreetly slipped out to be driven home to Windsor.

The London Clinic, where the Princess of Wales was treated after abdominal surgery, first opened in 1932. Above: Police outside the hospital as Kate was treated

Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in Norfolk in 2022

And so began her period of ‘recovery’, with aides making it clear that her return to public duties would not take place until after Easter and would be dependent on medical advice.

Amid this chaos of royal health problems, Buckingham Palace made another dramatic announcement on February 5: Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.

Suddenly the slimmed-down monarchy looked rather worn, which, among other things, put William even more in the spotlight. Throughout February, the Prince combined caring for his wife and three young children with his royal duties.

Unbeknownst to the public, Kate began a course of ‘preventive chemotherapy’ at the end of this month, during which cancer was discovered through ‘post-operative tests’. She stayed out of the public eye.

Although the British media respected her privacy, a photo was published by the American gossip website TMZ on March 4. It showed the princess wearing sunglasses in the passenger seat of an Audi driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, near Windsor Castle. Inevitably, ill-informed online gossip broke out, with the hashtag #whereiskatemiddleton trending.

As the inappropriate chatter continued, official word about Kate’s condition was clouded when the Ministry of Defense was forced on March 5 to backtrack on its claim that she would attend the practice parade for Trooping the Color in June.

Readers will need little reminder of what happened the following Sunday on Mother’s Day. In an apparent bid to reassure the public and quash nasty internet rumors, the palace has released a photo of Kate beaming with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. It was said that William had taken it to their Windsor home a few days earlier.

Within minutes of it being made public, several apparent anomalies were noticed. Why were the hands blurry? Wasn’t there something strange about a jacket zipper?

The Associated Press news agency published a ‘kill message’ saying the image had been manipulated – a decision followed by three other leading agencies.

In response, an unprecedented mea culpa was shared on Kensington Palace’s social media platforms. Kate apologized for the confusion and said, “Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time.”

Sitting on a bench in Windsor, surrounded by spring flowers, the Princess of Wales has taken the extraordinary step of revealing to the world that she has cancer

In response, an unprecedented mea culpa was shared on Kensington Palace’s social media platforms. Kate apologized for the confusion and said: ‘Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time’

The Princess of Wales arrives at the Shaping Us National Symposium at the Design Museum on November 15

That same afternoon, the princess was photographed leaving Windsor in a car with William, who looked at his phone as she turned to the window. Sources later revealed that she was ‘shocked’ by the fuss surrounding the Mother’s Day photo and found the episode deeply disturbing.

While his wife continued medical treatment, William nobly continued with only official duties. Grim proof of how the show must go on for the royal family, regardless of the situation.

On March 18, TMZ and The Sun newspaper published a video of Kate and William leaving the farm shop in Windsor two days earlier. Although a royal source said the fact she looked “happy and relaxed” should quell wild online conspiracy theories about her health, the video only fanned the flames.

The next day the situation became even worse when it was announced that the London Clinic had launched an investigation into claims that Kate’s confidential medical records had been breached by at least one staff member who was caught looking at her notes.

Four days later, on March 22, the princess broke her silence. In a deeply emotional and courageous video, Kate spoke of her ‘huge shock’ at being diagnosed with cancer, which was discovered during post-operative tests after her abdominal surgery.

Sitting alone on a bench in Windsor, her voice cracking, she spoke movingly about her condition, adding that she and William had done all they could to “process and manage this privately” for the sake of their three young children.

There were universal messages of goodwill and cancer experts praised Kate, saying her words would help other families in the fight against the disease.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, attends the opening of Evelina London’s new pediatric surgery department on December 5

Palace sources explained that the princess would continue her private routine, with William returning to official engagements after their children return to school on April 17.

The Easter deadline, originally intended as the time when the Princess could return to work after her operation, came and went as the Waleses spent the Easter weekend at their Anmer Hall home in Norfolk.

On April 18, William returned to his public duties and chatted easily with volunteers at a food distribution charity in Surrey. But his emotions were clear when he received two cards wishing his wife and father well.

Five days later, Kate was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honor – a unique honor for a member of the Royal Family, bestowed by the King in recognition of her public service.

That same day – this time without any problems – another family photo was released in honor of Prince Louis’ sixth birthday: an adorable photo of the boy, taken by Kate.

William continued his commitments and told staff during a school visit that his wife would ‘love’ to come with him. But as the days grew longer, important dates on the royal calendar drew closer. The nation was eager for good news about Kate.

In a huge boost for the family and the country, King Charles returned to work on April 30.

But even his May 20 visit with Camilla to the Chelsea Flower Show – usually attended en masse by the royal family – could not distract global attention from the princess’s long absence from public life.

Now, however, it is so fitting that this absence ends with attending the Trooping the Colour, an event central to the country’s history, displaying the British Army’s regimental flags (Colours) which have traditionally been a gathering point at the battlefield. .

Kate has been through her own battles and everyone is praying that she will emerge victorious.