Friends of the royals have told The Daily Beast that Kate Middleton will return to public life with a “big bang” on Easter Sunday, March 31. Expectations are growing that the Princess of Wales will walk to church with other members of the royal family on Easter Sunday and greet well-wishers in a spectacular set, signaling her return to public life.
Kate’s friend confirms return date
While her officials have been busy reminding journalists that they were initially briefed that her return to public duties would come “after Easter,” with some suggestions that this could mean “after the kids’ Easter holidays have finished,” a friend of Kate’s and a friend of King Charles told The Daily Beast that they expected and hoped, respectively, that Kate would attend church on Easter Sunday morning, in just under two weeks.
While Kensington Palace declined to comment on whether Kate would walk to church on Easter Sunday, or if she would be seen out and about privately before then after visiting a farm shop with her husband Prince William over the weekend, one friend said, “She is doing well. Everything is on track. Easter will be the big bang moment.
A friend of the king, meanwhile, said that Charles “of course” hoped Kate would attend church on Easter. They were also careful to point out that there was no pressure on Kate to do so, and that the decision would ultimately be hers.
(As for Charles, while there is no specific guidance on whether he will attend church on Easter Sunday, the palace has stated that he is avoiding crowds while undergoing cancer treatment. Queen Camilla will most likely represent him instead.
Easter is “the natural choice” for Kate’s return to public life
Another former Buckingham Palace employee said that Easter was “the natural choice” for Kate’s return to public life. The former courtier stated that going to the Easter Day church service at Sandringham with her family would be a “powerful dose of continuity.”
They stated that they did not expect a social media campaign featuring Kate, who was last seen in public on December 25, 2023, or for her team to release any more images of Kate before Easter.
The former courtier also stated that she is now expected to delegate the task of photographing her family for media handouts to professional photographers after another image taken by Kate of the late Queen Elizabeth II was removed from official records by the photo agency Getty Images, which claimed it was altered.
The former courtier, who maintains good relationships with current staff members, stated: “We won’t be seeing any more official pictures with Kate’s credit. It would just stir the whole story up again. The kids are older now anyway, so it is less of an issue.”
When asked if the palace would have little choice now that major photo agencies have said they no longer regard Kensington Palace as a trusted source, the former staffer replied: “They could continue to put her pictures out on social media, but the point is, they won’t.”
The first test of this new regime will be on April 23, Prince Louis’ birthday. Kate and William have traditionally released photographs of their children on their birthdays, which has proven an effective tool in reducing demand for unauthorized paparazzi photos of the children.