Kate Middleton attends secret royal engagement after pulling out of Royal Ascot

The Princess of Waleshas quietly returned to work after pulling out of Royal Ascot. Confusion was sparked last week when it was announced that Kate, who is in remission from cancer, would not be attending the second day of the horse racing festival.

It came after her name originally appeared on the official list of those taking part in a carriage procession alongside her husband Prince William as well as the King and Queen. When it was confirmed that she would not be attending, sources said she is still trying to find the right balance following her cancer diagnosis and subsequent chemotherapy treatment.

And although she has not appeared in public since then, it has emerged that she has carried out an engagement behind closed doors. According to the Court Circular, the record of official royal engagements, she and William met with philanthropist Melinda French Gates, the former wife of Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, at Windsor Castle yesterday.

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Ms French Gates is the owner of Pivotal Ventures, a company that aims to promote female power and influence and also is the co-founder of the Gates Foundation. No photos from the meeting have been released.

The meeting came after William had held an investiture ceremony yesterday where among those receiving their awards were the former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate, who picked up his knighthood.

It comes after a royal source reiterated that Kensington Palace has consistently stressed the need for 'flexibility' around the Princess of Wales ' public engagements.

They added that the princess completed three engagements in the week leading up to Royal Ascot, attending the new V&A East Storeroom exhibition space in London, the King's official birthday celebrations at Trooping the Colour and Garter Day in Windsor.

It is not clear when the princess took the decision not to join the royals at the races, but fans had been hoping to see Kate as William was one of the figures awarding prizes during the second day of the meeting.

She was named among the guests joining King Charles and Queen Camilla in the traditional carriage procession, but a revised list was quickly issued after Kensington Palace confirmed she would not be attending.

Kate announced in January she was now in remission and focussed on healing, while the King is still undergoing weekly treatment for the disease. Before she made her first public appearance after her diagnosis at Trooping the Colour last year, she revealed how she was "taking each day as it comes".

Speaking at the time, she said: "As anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days. I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty."

In September when her chemotherapy treatment ended, Kate described in an emotional video message how the previous nine months had been "incredibly tough for us as a family" and "doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus". William later said in a separate interview that 2024 had been a 'brutal' year.

The princess' measured return to royal duties was welcomed by Queen Elizabeth II's former communications secretary Ailsa Anderson. Speaking before Kate’s withdrawal from Royal Ascot, she told People magazine: "She's being sensible, listening to what her body is telling her and easing back into public life."