LONDON – Shocked by the scandal that occurred King Charles III heckled in the streets before expelling his brotherThe British royal family finally has some good news: Princess Kate returned.
Consistently considered one of Britain's most popular royals, Kate appeared to ease back into her public duties this week.
On Monday, she gave her first personal speech since sharing her experiences. cancer diagnosis 18 months ago.
“The love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults,” Kate said, speaking to business leaders at the Future Workforce Summit in London about the importance of early childhood, a cause she has championed for years.
“Love is the first and most important connection.”
The princess has been making more public appearances since announcing she had cancer earlier this year. in remissionbut this speech seems to return her to the royal bosom for a longer period.
“Welcome back, princess,” the Daily Telegraph's front page cheerfully proclaimed.
She received more positive coverage after performing again Wednesday night at one of the most joyful events on the royal calendar, the annual Royal Variety Performance, telling well-wishers it was “so good to be back” at the event, British media reported.
She returns after weeks of heated headlines about the family, with the king stripping his brother Andrew of his princely title last month amid growing scrutiny over his links to a sex offender. Jeffrey Epstein.
“What you see and hear about Catherine is the monarchy doing the job it needs to do today,” said Craig Prescott, who teaches law at Royal Holloway, University of London and specializes in the constitutional and political role of the monarchy.
He told NBC News the speech, which focused on early childhood, was a “good moment” for the family, reflecting its role in “interesting but not directly political causes.”
The focus in recent years has been on anything other than the family's usual workload of public events and ribbon cuttings as members of the royal family weathered a torrent of uncertainty and upheaval following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
The royal family was shocked early last year by the announcement that Charleswho was then 75 years old, was he was diagnosed with cancer after just two years on the thronefor which he is still undergoing treatment.
The relationship with the media was then undermined by the devastating saga when Kate, who had barely appeared in public at the time, admitted that changed family photo released by the palace. A few weeks later, Kate announced her diagnosis and said that she undergoing chemotherapy.
The king is also working to resolve differences with his son Prince Harry, who stepped down from his royal duties in 2020. They met for tea in September, their first meeting in almost two years; William was not there.
It was the king's younger brother Andrew who caused what Prescott called the first significant crisis of Charles' reign, and fresh revelations about his links to Epstein last month prompted the king strip him of his royal titles and throw him out of his house in Windsor.
Earlier this month 16 Democrats on House Oversight Committee wrote a letter asking the former prince, now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, to help them investigate the Epstein case. Thursday is the deadline for Andrew to respond.
Now that Kate appears to be back on the royal front line, there appears to be an opportunity to refocus, royal watchers say.
“This was Kate's first speech in two years and she looked very polished, very calm and confident, and she's clearly in a really good place,” said Emily Nash, royal editor of HELLO! Magazine. “We can expect to see many more projects like this in the future.”
Kate is regularly ranked as one of the most popular members of the royal family.
In October, her favorability rating was 73%. according to a YouGov pollwhich is slightly lower than her husband Prince William's (76%). The royal family as a whole had a favorability rating of 59%.
“It feels like she never put a foot wrong,” Prescott said. The feeling of affection and support for William after his mother, Princess Diana, died in a car accident, extended to Kate after she married into the royal family and “gave her a good platform to develop further,” he added.
Like the late queen, she takes her role as a member of the royal family very seriously and understands the concept of duty, Prescott said.
