Kate Middleton Reportedly Carries This "Huge Burden" in the Royal Family
Kate Middleton Reportedly Carries This "Huge Burden" in the Royal Family
Christina PerrierThu, June 18, 2026 at 2:48 PM UTC
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Kate Middleton attends the Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving on April 25, 2026.Credit: Getty ImagesThe Gist -
Kate Middleton has the "huge burden" of being the royal family's "rockstar," per royals author Catherine Mayer.
Mayer adds that Kate is "the one everyone wants to see."
Mayer says that pressure is compounded given her cancer battle.
With each high profile royal outing—from Trooping the Colour and Royal Ascot to holidays and state visits—onlookers crane their necks and refresh their Getty pages for a glimpse of Kate Middleton. The Princess of Wales has earned a spot in people's hearts, but all that attention and admiration doesn't come without its downsides.
Kate Middleton and Prince William visit Charing Cross Hospital on January 8, 2026.Credit: Getty Images
"Kate is the closest they have to a rockstar member these days, and she's the one everyone wants to see," Catherine Mayer, author of Divide & Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, told People. "That's a huge burden for anyone to carry, let alone someone who has had existential battles with her health."
Kate has slowly returned to public life after announcing her cancer remission on January 14, 2025. "I remain focussed on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal," she wrote at the time.
Kate Middleton and Prince William attend a Royal Garden Party on May 8, 2026.Credit: Getty Images
Kate kicked off the year with a visit to Charing Cross Hospital on January 8. Since then, she has been out and about at the BAFTA Awards in February, Nigeria state visit in March, Easter service in April, Royal Garden Party in May, and both Trooping the Colour and Royal Ascot this month. She also traveled to Italy in May, marking her first overseas work trip since her diagnosis.
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Earlier this month, Kate made an emotional visit to The Christie, a specialist cancer center in Manchester, where she gave rare comments about how her cancer journey has affected her husband Prince William, their children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, and her parents, Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton.
Prince William and Kate Middleton attend day two of Royal Ascot on June 17, 2026.Credit: Getty Images
"I know how hard it was for the children and my parents," Kate told the partner of a patient who had just completed chemotherapy and got to "ring the bell" as a result (a tradition to mark the completion of treatment). "You go through it with them."
"I know it's just as hard for families and loved ones," she said to another patient's partner.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
