Prince Charles "delighted" that Kate Middleton will return to royal duties on the balcony of Saturday's "Trooping the Colour

Perhaps hopelessly, we know, but "Marie Claire" reported last week that the Princess of Wales is "considering" a surprise appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to conclude this year's Trooping the Colour. After all, Kate has not been seen at a royal function since last Christmas Day, when she attended the traditional December 25 service at St. Mary Magdalen Church at Sandringham Manor with the rest of the royal family. Then came a tumultuous 2024, with scheduled abdominal surgery in January, the news of an unexpected and shocking cancer diagnosis in February, the public announcement of it in March, and (again, not surprisingly) a quiet retreat thereafter to prioritize her health and well-being.

There is no pressure for Kate to return to public service - some speculate that it may not be until 2025 - but if she is up for it, even a brief appearance would lift the spirits of many royal followers. I digress.

It seems we're not the only ones excited: OK reports that Prince Charles (whose birthday will be celebrated with a Trooping the Colors parade on Saturday) is "delighted" to invite his "beloved daughter-in-law" to the balcony to spend time with the royal family.

"If Kate were to make an appearance on the balcony, it would definitely dominate the news," public relations expert Leah Freeman told GB News.

"But from what I've read and seen, I imagine the King would be delighted to have her there." [The diagnosis was announced on February 5, the same day the cancer was discovered and treatment began following a routine prostate surgery on January 26. After about three months off, he returned to public duties on April 30.

If Kate were to make an appearance on the balcony on Saturday, "it would reinforce the strength of the monarchy going forward, which has been questioned by some due to the King and Kate's recent health concerns," Freeman said.

There have been recent reports that when Kate finally returns to public service, it may not look the same as it did before 2024. However, according to OK, royal writer Christopher Andersen disagrees with this notion, saying of these reports, "Let's not jump to conclusions, folks. He continued, "Kate has cancer [and is undergoing treatment], and it's perfectly understandable that she will be out of the picture for the foreseeable future." 'Once Kate is satisfied that she has done everything her doctors have told her to do to beat the disease, there is no doubt in my mind that she will return to the public eye.'

Andersen added, "Kate puts her family first, but she also puts her duty to her country first. She is very aware of her role as the Duchess of Wales, as the future Queen, as the wife of the future King, and as the mother of the future monarch. Kate did not spend ten years trying to win over the prince so that she could eventually hide in the shadows"

.

As for Saturday's Trooping the Colour, "If she can't go to Trooping the Colour because of the side effects of chemotherapy, say it now," Andersen said, noting that the Palace has confirmed that Kate will be at the June 8 Colonel's Review He spoke about how the Palace confirmed that Kate would not be attending the June 8 Colonel's Review but said nothing about the June 15 event. "It is not enough to say that she will miss the rehearsal," Andersen said. Because it creates irrational statements like, 'I may never see her again.'"

While we may be excited at the prospect of seeing her on Saturday, we should temper that with the reality that she may just not be ready yet. 'She is still recovering and her doctors have not yet given her the green light to return to work full time,' a source told OK magazine. 'Going through chemotherapy has been especially hard for her. She is very frail and I fear she may not be able to give her all to a formal engagement right now. "

When she eventually returns, "she will be exposed to the intense glare of the spotlight because she has been away for so long - people will analyze every detail of her appearance," they add, and Kate "will not want to appear looking less than her best. Everyone expects her to be perfect all the time. (It really is an impossible standard we have come to expect her, and really, almost every royal lady, to maintain.)

Sources claim that Kate will first release another video before making a public appearance, but "even that will be nerve-wracking. If she visits her fellow cancer patients, as Charles recently did, she could do a lot of good, and she is under a lot of pressure to get back into community service. But it is also understandable that she would want to stay hidden.

.