Confusion as UK army says Kate Middleton will be at event but palace doesn’t confirm
- The Princess of Wales’ health has been under close scrutiny after she had abdominal surgery in January and disappeared from the public eye
- Speculation increased last week when Prince William pulled out from a memorial service for his godfather at the last minute because of a ‘personal matter’
Britain’s government appeared to have made an embarrassing mistake on Tuesday after it advertised that Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, will attend a Trooping the Colour ceremony in June, apparently before consulting palace officials.
The announcement on the UK Ministry of Defence’s website drew attention because the June appearance would be the first major official duty confirmed for Kate, 42, since she underwent abdominal surgery.
But army officials seemed to have jumped the gun because Prince William and Kate’s office, Kensington Palace, has not confirmed any scheduled public events for Kate. It’s up to palace officials, not government departments, to announce and confirm the royals’ attendance at events.
The announcement caused confusion amid intense media attention on the state of Kate’s health. The royal has been out of the public eye since January, when palace officials announced that she was admitted to a private London hospital for unspecified planned surgery. They did not provide more details, but said that she would not return to public duties until after Easter.
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British media reported that the army did not seek approval from Kensington Palace before publishing details about Kate’s appearance in June, and announced the event based on the expectation that Kate, in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards, would inspect the troops this year at the annual military ceremony.
The ceremony’s events, annual highlights in the royal calendar, are birthday parades to honour the reigning monarch and usually draw huge crowds to London’s Horse Guards and along The Mall, the promenade outside Buckingham Palace.
