bitchy | Princess Kate had a surprise event today, her first since skipping Royal Ascot

Wimbledon began on Monday, and people were keeping an eye out to see if the Princess of Wales would come out for one of the early rounds. Kate decided to go in a different direction for her first public appearance since she suddenly withdrew from appearing at Royal Ascot two weeks ago. In the past fortnight, I feel like Kate and Kensington Palace would have been better served by simply providing one digestible “reason” for her withdrawal. The squirreliness around it led to reports as varied as “Kate didn’t feel like going out on a hot day” to “Kate is lucky to be alive, did you ever think about that!!” In any case, Kate stepped out today in Essex and visited Colchester Hospital’s garden.

Kate Middleton returned to public duties with a meaningful visit to a hospital garden, where she spoke candidly about the challenges of her cancer journey, even after treatment ended. The Princess of Wales, 43, traveled to Colchester Hospital in Essex on July 2 to spend time in a specially designed well-being garden that offers a restorative space for patients, NHS staff and visitors.

She said, “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, “I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult. You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to,” the Princess of Wales continued. “And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable.”

Princess Kate called it “life-changing” for both the patient and their families.

“You have to find your new normal and that takes time…and it’s a rollercoaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be,” she said. “But the reality is you go through hard times.”

[From People]

Sure. This is Kate’s new normal, as royal sources have been insisting for some time. Anyway, I’m glad that she was well enough to go to a work event, her first in sixteen days. I honestly kind of wonder if someone thought it would be a bad idea for Kate’s “first event back” to be “going to Wimbledon,” and that’s why this was arranged. The thing is, people already accepted the idea that Kate would perk up for Wimbledon and that she would be ready to attend some matches. Still, the optics matter and this was a good call by her staff. They even let her wear Big Blue!

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.