2024 has been a year of schedule upheaval for the royals after Kate Middleton and King Charles III both announced their diagnoses with unspecified forms of cancer. Before Kate announced her diagnosis in late March, she was added to the Army website’s schedule for Trooping the Colour, the annual parade in honor of the monarch’s birthday to be held on June 15, but was later removed after Kensington Palace staff said her participation had not been decided. Now it’s official that Prince William and the king will participate in a dress rehearsal on June 8, but Kate will not.
As the new Colonel-in-Chief of the Irish Guards, Kate would have been expected to attend the Colonel’s Review, a practice ceremony to inspect the troops, next weekend. According to The Irish Sun, that role will instead be taken on by Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall, a former military commander, and sources close to Kate said she never thought she would make it to the review after she began chemotherapy in February.
Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, who serves as the Brigade Major for both ceremonies, sent his best wishes to the princess in a statement to the tabloid. “We totally understand and our thoughts and best wishes are with Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales,” he said. “We are even more determined to make the Colonel’s Review the best yet for her. We are so proud to have The Princess of Wales as the Colonel of the Irish Guards.”
Kate became the Guards’ Colonel-in-Chief in March 2023, taking on the role after William was promoted to the Colonel-in-Chief of the Welsh Guards. Over the course of 2023, the princess visited with the Guards, wore their special brooch at events, and even took part in training activities. She would have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day their parade in 2024 but was unable to attend due to her illness.
Though Kate will miss the June 8 dress rehearsal for the guards, she might still make an appearance on the palace balcony with her family for the main event. According to the Daily Mirror, palace sources haven’t ruled out the possibility that she will attend events after June 8 if she is feeling well at the time.
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