Over the weekend, the Princess of Wales “sent a letter of apology” to the Irish Guards. She is the royal patron of the Irish Guards and an “honorary colonel” of the Guards, and she canceled her appearance at the Guards’ Trooping the Colour rehearsal last Saturday. The letter of apology was typed (and not proofed) and “Kate” signed her name to it, although few people believe that was actually her signature. It wouldn’t be the first time Kensington Palace forged someone’s signature, that’s all I’ll say. After that, there was a renewed conversation about whether Kate will appear at Trooping this Saturday, as well as speculation about when we could possibly have a credible sighting of a taxpayer-funded princess who has been missing for nearly six full months. Well, Tom Sykes, the Royalist columnist at the Daily Beast, has a new exclusive about what the hell is going on with Kate. Remember, a few weeks ago, Sykes was the one to have that exclusive about how Kate would likely be absent from public life for all of 2024. Some highlights from this new piece:
Speculation about whether Kate will go to Trooping: Those hopes, however, have now been tempered by palace sources who dismissed requests from The Daily Beast to clarify whether Kate had intended to indicate in the letter that she was indeed preparing for a return to pubic life. One palace source close to the princess said the situation remains the same: she is out of the public eye receiving treatment, needs her privacy and an update will be given “when there is one.” Another source told The Daily Beast that the note to the Irish Guards (apologizing for missing the official rehearsal for Trooping The Colour) shouldn’t be over-analyzed.
A source claims that William & Kate are really in charge of their own messages & photos: “I think to pick through the wording of her letter looking for clues to her intentions is a mistake. I am sure she does hope to be able to represent the Irish Guards again ‘very soon’ in an uncomplicated, normal understanding of that sentiment. The thing about William and Kate is that they honestly do a lot of this stuff themselves. It’s not like the old days of Queen Elizabeth II where the men in grey wrote something and the queen just signed it without any input. This was very clearly demonstrated with the photoshopped Mother’s Day image. For good or ill, they write the letters and take the pictures and tell their staff, ‘send it out.’”
Kate really did write that letter of apology, people! “Some people found it preposterous to be asked to believe that Catherine was sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop editing a picture William took. But I can tell you, anyone who has worked for that couple would know that is exactly what happened. My understanding is that there is no timeframe for Catherine returning to public duties. I actually don’t think her note implies she is going to be charging down to their headquarters to inspect a parade next month. I honestly think it’s just a classic case of the Waleses not feeling they need to ask for advice when it comes to sending a simple letter.”
She’s not going to Trooping: Another source, an old friend of the family, said that they thought it would be “bizarre” if Kate appeared on the balcony at Trooping the Colour this weekend having declined to appear for her own regiment a week before. “I think this idea that Kate is suddenly going to pop up on the balcony on Saturday is far-fetched,” they said. “It would be wonderful, of course, but more than slightly bizarre given that she bowed out of the Colonel’s review.”
They’re still kicking the can down the road: The friend said that the general understanding is that Kate is “doing well” with her treatment but prioritizing her recovery. They added, “The royals typically have a light schedule over the summer months, so it would seem odd to make a big push for her to return now.”
Yeah, I don’t believe Kate actually wrote the note to the Irish Guards, nor do I believe she signed it. It was just something half-assed which was cooked up by Kensington Palace staffers. It’s wild that this is being used as an excuse or cover for the Mother’s Day frankenphoto fiasco too. Like, now Kensington Palace’s whole argument is: we’re not obfuscating a very morbid situation about Kate’s health, it’s just that William and Kate are tone-deaf and incompetent and we follow their lead! All of those amateurish edited photos and janky statements? Those came directly from Kate! As for the timeline… yeah, Kate will miss Trooping the Colour. She’ll miss the Japanese state visit. She’ll miss Wimbledon. They’ll say that she’s “resting and recuperating” at Anmer Hall this summer and no one should expect to see her for months. And then in September or October, they’ll have to come up with a new reason why they can’t physically produce Kate. I really hope I’m wrong and I hope this is all just Kate legitimately not wanting to work and wanting to “recover.” But we’ll see.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales, attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757165111, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales reacts after arriving for a St David’s Day parade with members of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards in Windsor England, Wednesday, March 1, 2023.,Image: 759474037, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon 
Wiltshire, UK, 08 March 2023: Catherine Princess of Wales during her visit to the Irish Guards on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.,Image: 761262706, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales at the Dog and Duck pub in Soho ahead of this weekend’s coronation. Pictured: Prince William drinks a pint of cider as he chats to local business people inside the Dog and Duck pub.,Image: 773852202, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon 
The Princess of Wales at The Coronation of King Charles III at London”s Westminster Abbey 06 May 2023,Image: 774252025, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon 
Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales gestures as she meets with health visitors in Nuneaton, Britain, June 15, 2023.,Image: 783455996, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
Camera Press Rota 04465561. The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the Royal Order Of The Garter Installation Service at Windsor Castle.,Image: 784267831, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Camera Press Rota, Model Release: no, Credit line: David Dyson / Avalon 
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