Kate Middleton has officially returned to work, just a week after announcing she was cancer-free and had finished chemotherapy in an unprecedentedly personal video.
Wednesday’s Court Circular, a bulletin published by Buckingham Palace every day detailing the official activities of the royals, said that the princess convened a meeting for her signature ‘Early Years’ project on Tuesday.
She has previously described the cause, which focuses on raising awareness about the importance the first five years of life for children’s development, as her life’s work.
The statement read simply: “The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron, The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this afternoon held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor.” It marked Kate’s first appearance in the Court Circular since December last year and will be seen as a huge milestone on her path to recovery.
The meeting was conducted behind closed doors and no images have been released.
Kate is only expected to make two public, official appearances this year, with attendance at the national Remembrance Day service in November pencilled into her diary, along with an appearance at an annual carol service which she sponsors in December.
She has previously appeared in public only twice this year: at the men’s finals of the Wimbledon tennis tournament and at Trooping the Colour, the king’s birthday parade.
Kate said in her video last week that “doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus,” adding, “I must continue to take each day as it comes.”
Palace insiders expect her to undertake only very few public engagements in the coming months.
Last month, a friend of Kate’s told the Daily Beast that the Princess of Wales would continue to maintain a much lower profile than before, with less frequent public engagements even after her expected full recovery, and that her “brush with mortality” would lead her to focus on her family.
The Daily Beast’s source said then: “My understanding is that people are going to have to get used to seeing a lot less of Kate. The priority for her now is going to be family and the children. The youngest of those kids, Louis, is only 6.”
