So my quiet little conspiracy about the Princess of Wales is that she, along with Kensington Palace staffers, always intended to do certain things to show her “recovery.” I believe that there was always a plan to release a “new photo of Kate” for Mother’s Day, just as I believe the original plan was for Kate’s first public appearance to be at church in Windsor on Easter Sunday. The thing is, the palace wanted those things to be a surprise – they didn’t want anyone to EXPECT Kate to be seen or to do anything until May/June. They were caught off-guard by the past month of speculation, conspiracies and rumormongering, and they’ve been trying to react in real time, only everyone involved – from senior staff to junior staff to the Waleses themselves – is an incompetent dumbass. It’s given the impression that Will and Kate are staggering from one self-created crisis to another. Mid-stagger, they’re trying to go back to the original plan, only they’ve made everything into such a four-alarm crisis that if Kate doesn’t show up to church on Easter, it will be international news and the conspiracies will get even worse. Speaking of, now “friends of King Charles” are basically letting Kate know (through the press) that she better put on an Easter wig and hustle her ass to church OR ELSE.
Kate Middleton’s return to public life will be marked with a “big bang” return to the limelight on Easter Sunday, March 31, friends of the royals have told The Daily Beast. Expectations are building 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 show-stopping set piece, heralding her return to public life.
While her officials have been busily reminding journalists that they initially briefed that her return to public duties would come “after Easter,” with some suggestions that could actually 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 be walking to church on Easter Sunday, or indeed if she would be seen out and about privately before then after she visited a farm shop with husband Prince William this weekend, one friend said, “She is doing well. Everything is on track. Easter will be the big bang moment.”
A friend of the king’s, meanwhile, told The Daily Beast that Charles “of course” hoped Kate would attend church at Easter. However they were also careful to point out that there was no suggestion of any pressure being put on Kate to do so, and that it would be ultimately up to her. (As for Charles himself, while there has been no specific guidance on whether the king will attend church on Easter Sunday, his attendance would be unlikely as the palace has said he is avoiding crowds while he receives cancer treatment. Queen Camilla will likely represent him instead.)
Another source, a former Buckingham Palace staffer, told The Daily Beast that Easter was “the natural choice” for Kate to make her return to the public sphere. The former courtier said that attending the Easter Day church service at Sandringham with her family would provide a “powerful dose of continuity.”
They said they understood it was unlikely that there would be a social media campaign featuring Kate—last seen in public on Dec. 25, 2023—or that her team would release any more images of Kate before Easter.
The former courtier added that she is now expected to delegate the business of photographing her family for media handouts to professional photographers, after another image taken by Kate of the late Queen Elizabeth II was struck out of official records by the photo agency Getty Images which declared it had been altered. The former courtier, who retains good links with current staff members said: “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.”
Asked if the reality was that the palace would have little choice now that major picture agencies have said they no longer regard Kensington Palace as a trusted source, the former staffer said: “They could continue to put her pictures out on social media but the point is, they won’t.”
Re: the palace-released photos, I said yesterday that I genuinely hope that media agencies dip into their archives and start labeling all of the manipulated photos released by KP for YEARS. This is practically an admission that yeah, they got caught on that too. They thought they could keep sending out manipulated photos forever and no one would say sh-t. That blew up in their faces, as did their lack of preparation for how to keep the public informed about Kate’s condition. Anyway, I’m sure Kate will be resurrected for Easter, or at least that’s what everyone in Windsor World is telling Kate that she has to do. Although, history shows us that whenever pressure is applied on Will and Kate to get off their asses, they refuse.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Berwick Upon Tweed, UNITED KINGDOM – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Holy Trinity Church of England First School in Berwick Upon Tweed to meet staff and pupils. Their Royal Highnesses’ visit, on the second day of their three-day tour across the UK aboard the Royal train, recognized the work of teachers over the past year, including their efforts to keep schools open for vulnerable children and the children of key workers, in Berwick Upon Tweed, Northumberland, UK Pictured: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 7 DECEMBER 2020 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge departs after delivering her keynote speech at an event hosted by the Forward Trust to launch the charity’s “Taking Action On Addiction” campaign. Pictured: Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 19 OCTOBER 2021 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will celebrate the Scouts #PromiseToThePlanet campaign. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Alexandra Park Sports Hub in Dennistoun to meet with Scouts from across the area and learn more about the Scouts’ #PromiseToThePlanet campaign. One of their hosts will be 12-year-old Lewis Howe, one of the 26 #OneStepGreener Ambassadors recently announced by the UK Government – extraordinary, everyday people who are going above and beyond for the climate. Through Scouting, Lewis is taking positive action on the issues that matter to him the most and challenging all Scottish schools to reduce food waste by using surplus food to create meals for those in need using environmentally friendly packaging. Their Royal Highnesses will take part in activities that demonstrate how Scouting is helping to equip young people with the skills to tackle climate change. They will also learn how millions of Scouts across the globe have been contributing to the #PromiseToThePlanet campaign, raising awareness of the consequences of climate change and encouraging individual as well as collective action to address it. The Duchess of Cambridge is Joint President of The Scout Association alongside The Duke of Kent. Pictured: Prince William, Kate Middleton, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 1 NOVEMBER 2021 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pictured visiting the Foundling Museum in London. The Foundling Museum tells the history of the Foundling Hospital, the UK’s first children’s charity which was founded in 1739 as a home for children whose mothers couldn’t keep or care for them. The Museum delivers training, mentorship programmes and creative projects, led and developed by contemporary artists, writers and musicians, to continue to use creative action to transform and improve the lives of care-experienced young people. Pictured: Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 19 JANUARY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
Clitheroe, UNITED KINGDOM – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit NHS staff and patients at Clitheroe Community Hospital and hear about their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, in Clitheroe, East Lancashire. Pictured: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 20 JANUARY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
Burnley, UNITED KINGDOM – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Church on the Street, where they met with volunteers and staff in Burnley, Lancashire, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 20 JANUARY 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM – Members of the Royal family attend the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
Aberavon, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales – Prince William and Kate Visit Wales. Ahead of St. David’s Day, The Prince and Princess of Wales visit South Wales to champion mental health initiatives and meet local communities. Here we see the Princess of Wales visit Aberavon Leisure & Fitness Centre to meet local communities and hear about how sport and exercise can support mental health and wellbeing. Aberavon Leisure & Fitness Centre opened in 2016 and offers a range of physical activities to promote a healthy lifestyle for local people in Aberavon. Pictured: Catherine – Kate Middleton – Princess of Wales BACKGRID USA 28 FEBRUARY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcW5jZoR2e9KhnJigkam1oL7IrJynl6Cntq%2BvxKyqmKORqbKgvMuapayXkp60oK7Ap56YqpWpwrO6vqilmJ2RqMGmvr6srKecka58