After Kate Middleton’s sudden decision to cancel her appearance at Royal Ascot, Prince William attended the prestigious event without his wife. Royal sources said the Princess of Wales was “disappointed” to miss the event, and royal fans were likely anticipating Princess Kate’s Royal Ascot outfit. And according to a former royal employee, the Prince of Wales will “feel the void” at Ascot without his wife, too.

“William holding the fort on his own isn’t unusual,” former royal butler Grant Harrold said on behalf of Spin Genie. “He’s very well versed in attending engagements solo and he very much gets on with the job at hand. He’ll be so comfortable doing these events, but obviously Kate is his partner.”

Harrold continued, “He will definitely feel the void of not having her at Ascot with him today. It’s like The King and Queen, they want that physical support alongside them, they want the united partnership. They value each other as part of that partnership, just like William and Kate do too.”

Prince William attends Royal Ascot on June 18 without Kate Middleton. (Image credit: Getty Images/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Luckily, Harrold—who was King Charles’s butler for 6 years—believes Prince William will find support in other family members. “Naturally, however, it’s nice for William to enjoy a fun day out alongside his family,” the former royal employee said. “He would have loved spending time with Charles and Camilla.”

Rather than being like an official royal engagement, “Ascot is quite an informal event,” says Harrold, who calls the annual outing “relaxed.” “The King…will have all his friends there, it’s a great social occasion for them all round,” the former butler explained.

Prince William attends Royal Ascot on June 18 without Kate Middleton. (Image credit: Getty Images/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

While Princess Kate wasn’t able to attend Royal Ascot on June 18, 2025, her mother, Carole Middleton, was in attendance, along with Kate’s brother James Middleton and his wife, Alizee Thevenet.

“Kate is extremely close to her family, especially her mom, and Carole has a great relationship with William too,” Harrold explained. “No doubt William will be spending some time with Carole, as she gets on great with the Royal Family.”

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The former royal butler also suggested that Carole would likely be “chatting with Queen Camilla about the horses and catching up in general.”

Kate Middleton unexpectedly pulled out of the Royal Ascot on Wednesday (June 18), months after announcing her cancer was in remission.

According to Town & Country, The Princess of Wales name was listed to ride in the second carriage with her husband, Prince William, before it was revealed that she would not be present. The magazine explained that the beloved royal’s absence could have something to do with “finding the balance between public duties and her health as she returns to engagements following the news her cancer is in remission.”

On January 14, Middleton announced that her abdominal cancer was in remission and that she was “focused on recovery.”

“It is a relief to now be in remission, and I remain focussed on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.”

Town & Country noted that The Princess of Wales was unable to attend last year’s Royal Ascot because she was undergoing cancer treatment. While she was not present this year’s race, Middleton did attend at the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony on June 14 alongside her family in an attempt to realign with her royal duties.

For more on The Princess of Wales’ cancer battle, read Kate Middleton Gives Emotional Update On Cancer Battle In New Statement.

On Wednesday, Kate Middleton unexpectedly cancelled plans to attend Royal Ascot, just days after a high profile public appearance at Trooping the Colour. Her husband, Prince William, arrived at the famous horse races solo, riding in a carriage with King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

“The princess is disappointed not to be there today,” a royal source told Vanity Fair, “but she has to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements.”

The cancellation comes less than a year after the Princess of Wales completed treatment following a cancer diagnosis, and in January she confirmed that her cancer was in remission. Though her engagement schedule has been busy since the beginning of 2025, she still hasn’t returned to the pace of public-facing work before her health issues became public in January 2024.

Over the last week, the princess made an appearance at two major royal events, Saturday’s Trooping the Colour in London and Monday’s Order of the Garter service in Windsor. Both engagements saw the Princess of Wales greet other members of the royal family outdoors in the sun.

“Catherine would have loved to be at Ascot. It’s always a fun day out, but the UK is having a heatwave, and she is trying to pace herself,” a friend of the princess told VF. “Trooping and the Garter were big occasions and very important dates in the royal calendar that the Princess wanted to be at. She was there and looked wonderful and played her part.”

William and Catherine live in Windsor, with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The friend said that she keeps their schedules in mind as she plans her public engagements.

“Where possible, she likes to be home when the children get back from school,” the friend added. “She has been a lot busier than we thought she would be, taking on lots of engagements both with William and solo ones. We will see her out again very soon.”

Watch : Kate Middleton Debuts Eye-Catching New Look

Kate Middleton is figuring out her new normal.

The Princess of Wales pulled out of a planned appearance at the Royal Ascot June 18 hours before she was set to return to the annual horse race alongside Prince William, Kensington Palace confirmed to NBC News.

According to the palace, Kate was disappointed to have to miss the event but is still figuring out the right balance for herself when it comes to completing public engagements following her cancer battle.

While the couple—who share Prince George, 11, and Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7—has been a fixture at the Royal Ascot over the years, this will be the second year that William will attend the event without Kate, who was having chemotherapy during last year’s race.

At this year’s event, he’ll be accompanied by his father King Charles III and Queen Camilla, as well as Kate’s mother Carole Middleton.

Royal fans had likely been looking forward to seeing Kate Middleton’s Royal Ascot outfit for 2025. However, the Princess of Wales has “abruptly” canceled her previously planned appearance at Royal Ascot, and Prince William is now attending the event without his wife. Plus, Kensington Palace referenced Kate’s cancer diagnosis in their statement.

Royal editor for The Sunday Times, Roya Nikkhah, shared news of Kate’s cancellation on X, writing, “The Princess of Wales will now not attend Royal Ascot today with the Prince of Wales as expected. Royal sources say the princess is ‘disappointed’ not to attend but has to find the right balance as she continues her recovery from cancer and a phased return to full duties.”

The cancellation was so sudden that Princess Kate’s attendance had been confirmed by Royal Ascot officials just 30 minutes prior to Kensington Palace’s announcement, via the Daily Mail. Instead, Prince William was photographed arriving at the glitzy event without his wife.

Prince William at Royal Ascot on June 18, 2025, without Princess Kate. (Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Image)

Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, was also in attendance on June 18, and was seen spending time with Kate’s brother James Middleton, and his wife Alizee Thevenet.

Princess Kate announced in September 2024 that she’d completed preventative chemotherapy treatment following her cancer diagnosis earlier in the year. Since then, the Princess of Wales has made a gradual return to her official royal duties, but as noted by Kensington Palace’s announcement, she is continuing to adjust to her new normal.

Prince William and Kate Middleton at Ascot Racecourse on June 17, 2022. (Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Former royal butler Grant Harrold , speaking on behalf of Spin Genie , gave some insight into what Royal Ascot is really like for the Royal Family. ” Queen Camilla is very much into horses,” Harrold explained. “The King is, but I would say Camilla is more so, along with Princess Anne . If you’re going to be taking advice on which horses, I would look at Camilla for a good tip.”

Harrold served as King Charles’s personal butler at Highgrove for more than 6 years, and said of The King, “Horse racing is a great tradition within the family—royals and horses go back centuries.” He continued, “I’m sure [King Charles] won’t be able to go to Ascot and not think of the late Queen, his mother. That was a huge highlight of her year.”