Catherine, Princess of Wales, misses Royal Ascot as she balances cancer recovery

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Jun 18, 2025 10:02 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Catherine, Princess of Wales, was not astatine Royal Ascot connected Wednesday, with a royal root citing her request for equilibrium arsenic she returns to nationalist engagements aft being treated for crab past year.

Her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne, was part of the royal procession astatine the horse-racing lawsuit successful confederate England aboriginal connected Wednesday, alongside his father, King Charles, and Queen Camilla.

The royal root said Catherine was disappointed not to beryllium attending.

The princess has gradually been returning to her nationalist royal relation aft completing a people of preventative chemotherapy past twelvemonth to code the beingness of an unspecified signifier of cancer.

Royal Ascot, a five-day bid of equine races, is the centrepiece of the summertime societal play successful Britain, with members of the Royal Family attending passim the meeting.

Racegoers had hoped to spot Catherine connected Wednesday, arsenic Prince William was scheduled to award race prizes. 

200th day of royal procession

On Tuesday, Charles and Camilla arrived astatine the people astatine the caput of the accepted carriage procession successful beforehand of tens of thousands of racegoers.

The royal procession is celebrating its 200th anniversary, with the contented opening during the reign of King George IV successful 1825 erstwhile the monarch was accompanied by the Duke of Wellington.

Writing successful Royal Ascot's authoritative program, the King and Queen said: "Having experienced the thrill of triumph astatine Royal Ascot ourselves successful 2023, we tin lone privation each those competing this week the precise champion of luck and that everyone watching has a astir enjoyable 5 days."

The precocious Queen Elizabeth was a passionate proprietor and breeder of thoroughbreds and had much than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign.

Charles and Camilla person taken connected her unchangeable of horses and enjoyed their archetypal Royal Ascot victor successful 2023, erstwhile Desert Hero triumphed successful the King George V Stakes.