Princess of Wales: Should we be worried about her Royal Ascot absence?
I must admit: I was surprised when we were told The Princess of Wales would not be attending Royal Ascot on Wednesday - it appears the racecourse was too.
Royal sources indicated both The Prince and The Princess of Wales would be part of the Royal Procession, and observe the races from the Royal Box.
As usual, a carriage list was issued by Royal Ascot at midday, but twenty-two minutes later, I was informed The Princess is not attending.
This, understandably, caused a lot of confusion - with a source close to Catherine insisting it was the racecourse that issued an inaccurate carriage list.
A new list was quickly republished by Royal Ascot, putting The King, Queen and Prince of Wales in the same carriage (originally, Prince William was going to travel in a separate carriage with his wife).
So, what really happened?
I understand The Princess of Wales was 'disappointed' not to attend alongside her husband Prince William, and is finding the right balance as she fully returns to public engagements.
Given what sources are telling me, it appears to have been a last-minute decision for Her Royal Highness to pull out, which inevitably raises some concern.
There is no reason to believe there is anything serious going on behind the scenes; Prince William carried on as normal and Catherine's mother, Carole Middleton, was pictured smiling with The King in the Royal Box.
It is also unclear if The Princess' absence was due to her health.
Last year, The Princess underwent major abdominal surgery, forcing her to step back from public duties, and then underwent treatment for cancer.
On Monday, The Princess joined other senior royals at Windsor Castle for Garter Day and attended Trooping the Colour on Saturday.
Her Royal Highness also appeared in good health when I covered her visit to the V&A East Storehouse in Stratford, East London, earlier this month.
Palace officials are keeping quiet about why The Princess appeared to pull out of her scheduled Ascot appearance just hours before the event.
It is certainly a reminder of that The Princess is still continuing a gradual return to public duties, six months after announcing she is in remission.
Meanwhile, King Charles, who continues a weekly cycle of cancer treatment, has taken part in the Royal Procession every day so far at Royal Ascot.
Palace officials are keeping quiet about why the Princess of Wales appeared to pull out of her scheduled Ascot appearance just hours before the event
Getty
Prince William joined by Hollywood royalty on special engagement
The Prince of Wales was joined by Hollywood A-lister Cate Blanchett during a visit to Earthshot Prize finalist 'Colorifix' on Thursday.
24 hours previously, he donned top hat and tails to attend Royal Ascot, but in complete contrast on Thursday, he wore a lab coat instead.
Colorifix, based in Norwich, is a 2023 Earthshot Prize finalist.
Part of the 'Build a Waste Free World' category, the company uses DNA sequencing and natural colours to create sustainable fabric dyes.
The aim is to reduce the amount of harmful toxic chemicals ending up polluting the land, sea and rivers, as well as reducing the amount of water the fashion industry requires to produce garments.
Rebecca Hiscock, a colouration technician, showed The Prince and actress some samples.
Prince William joked: "It's like Blue Peter - here's one I made earlier!"
Cate Blanchett is a judge for Prince William's Earthshot Prize - which aims to find solutions to repair the planet that can be scaled up rapidly to have a real-world impact.
The future King praised the "fantastic" work Colorifix has done, since becoming a finalist two years ago, with the organisation still supporting them in their mission.
The 2025 Earthshot Prize is expected to be in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil this autumn.
The Prince of Wales was joined by Hollywood A-lister Cate Blanchett during a visit to Earthshot Prize finalist 'Colorifix' on Thursday.
Getty
Has The Duchess of Sussex just taken a subtle swipe at the Royal Family?
This week, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex (aka Meghan Sussex, formally Meghan Markle), told a podcast she would "ask people to tell the truth" if her public narrative was being rewritten from scratch.
It is now eight years since former Suits star was propelled onto the global stage when she began dating Prince Harry.
A turbulent time followed, and a dramatic exit as a working royal gave The Duchess more freedom to speak out.
She made several shocking claims during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, implying a member of the Royal Family was racist, perhaps the most damaging for the institution.
In that instance, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying: "recollections may vary" - suggesting there was another side to Meghan and Harry's version of events.
Further damaging claims by the Sussexes have largely been met by silence from The Royal Household.
Separately, The Times published allegations that The Duchess was bullying certain members of staff - something always denied by Meghan and her lawyers.
However, a leaked email written by Meghan's former aide Jason Knauf (who continues to work closely with Prince William as CEO of the Earthshot Prize) said: "I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year...We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour."
This formed part of the Times' story, which The Duchess' team dismissed as a "smear campaign" against her ahead of the Oprah interview to damage her credibility.
Then, there's the issue around the bridesmaids' dresses for Meghan's wedding.
A newspaper claimed Meghan made Catherine cry, Meghan claims the opposite happened.
Here in lies the issue.
At the moment, we are largely hearing Meghan's version of events - Meghan's side of the story.
But, what about the other side? What does The Princess of Wales have to say? What about His Majesty The King?
We will likely never know; the working Royals have maintained what many believe is a dignified silence.
Opinion polls appear to side with the working royals, because Harry and Meghan's popularity has taken a significant hit.
Perhaps this is why Meghan believes untruths have been told about her, smearing her public image.
The timing of her appearance on the Aspire podcast is also significant - a new public relations shake-up has been done by Team Sussex.
At least two of Meghan and Harry's top communications leads appear to have been axed, in favour of the US-based Method Communications to promote their business and charity work.
They also now have a new communications officer based in the UK, and reportedly others in different time zones to ensure a 'timely response' to media enquiries.
Can this new PR agency turn public opinion around The Duke and Duchess of Sussex? Let's see.
Meghan told a podcast she would "ask people to tell the truth" if her public narrative was being rewritten from scratch.
Princess Beatrice bursts with excitement over key win
I couldn't end this week's 'Inside the Palace' without a special shoutout to Princess Beatrice - who couldn't contain her excitement during her day out at Royal Ascot on Thursday.
Her Royal Highness was reportedly dressed in a Monique Lhuillier dress, bright yellow with a floral pattern - complimenting the blazing sunshine.
During the King George V stakes, Prince Andrew's daughter looked absolutely ecstatic in the Royal 'overflow' Box.
Perhaps she had put a lucky bet on the race's winning horse, Merchant, ridden by Tom Marquand and trained by William Haggas.
Princess Beatrice also shared a rare public kiss with her husband, Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Most Read
