The Princess of Wales recently wrote a letter to the Irish Guards to apologise about not being able to take part in The Colonel’s Review.

The Princess of Wales made her last public appearance on Christmas Day 2023 when she along with the Prince of Wales and three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attended church on the Sandringham estate with the rest of the royal family. On 17 January 2024, Kensington Palace confirmed that the Princess of Wales had been admitted to The London Clinic for planned abdominal surgery.

The palace released a statement which read: “The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.

“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.

“Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.

“The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.”

The Princess of Wales remained in hospital for thirteen days and was discharged from The London Clinic on 29 January. Kensington Palace issued another statement which read: “The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress.

“The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided.

“The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”

It is not yet known if the Princess of Wales will attend the Trooping of the Colour 2024, but it is looking unlikely at this stage. Picture: Getty | getty
After widespread speculation about the Princess of Wales’s health, a photograph was released to mark Mother’s Day on 10 March 2024 and it was taken by Prince William of the Princess of Wales with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Unfortunately, as soon as the photograph was released, online speculation started to grow again over parts of the image which some claimed to be altered or even “AI-generated.”

Following the Mother’s Day photograph furore, the Princess of Wales was forced to break her silence about the ‘editing of the photograph’ and In a post on the @KensingtonRoyal page on X (formerly Twitter) the Princess of Wales said: Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

Later that month, the Princess of Wales released a video message where she confirmed that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer. In the video message, she said: In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time.”

The Princess of Wales also said that “It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay. As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”

The Princess of Wales made her last public appearance on Christmas Day 2023. Picture: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

The Prince of Wales took time away from royal duties to support his family but returned to work on the 18 April 2024. When Prince William visited the Isles of Scilly on 10 May, he revealed that the Princess of Wales was ‘doing well.’

On 21 May 2024, Kensington Palace shared an update on the Princess of Wales’s early years work as they released her Business Taskforce prioritising childhood report and a senior royal aide said that “The Princess of Wales was the driving force behind the business task force. She has been kept up to date since the inception of the task force and she has read the report and been briefed on it.

‘This is a clear commitment she has made that throughout her life of public service that this will be focus. That will continue when she returns to work. But we have been really clear that she needs the space and the privacy to recover right now. She will return to work when she has had the green light from doctors.’

There was speculation that the Princess of Wales would return to public duties for the Colonel’s Review on 8 June, the week before the Trooping of the Colour, but it was revealed that would not be the case. The Princess of Wales wrote to the Irish Guards for missing the Review and said: “I wanted to write and let you know how proud I am of the entire regiment ahead of the Colonel’s Review and Trooping the Colour. I appreciate everyone trooping this year has been practising for months, and dedicating many hours to ensuring their uniforms and drill are immaculate.

“Being your Colonel remains a great honour, and I am very sorry that I’m unable to take the salute at this year’s Colonel’s Review. Please pass my apologies to the whole regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon.”

Will the Princess of Wales attend Trooping of the Colour?
Although the Princess of Wales did not attend the Colonel’s Review, there has been speculation that she might appear on the balcony for Trooping of the Colour. As yet, there has been no official word whether this is set to happen and at this stage, it looks highly unlikely.

A source told Harper’s Bazaar in May 2024 that the “The princess will return to official duties when she is cleared to do so by her medical team,” and that “She is in good spirits and is focused on making a full recovery.”