The Princess of Wales is back at Royal Ascot for the first time in three years, marking another milestone in her steady return to public life following cancer treatment.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44, joined Prince William, 43, for the second day of the famous horse racing meeting on Wednesday, June 17. The couple arrived at Ascot Racecourse as part of the Royal Procession — the horse-drawn carriage ride that traditionally opens each day’s program — sharing a coach with the Duke and Duchess of Richmond and Gordon.
Princess Kate turned heads in a bold yellow dress by designer Roksanda, finished with a matching hat. The sunny shade echoed the light yellow coat dress she wore just two days earlier for Garter Day at Windsor Castle. Prince William coordinated with his wife, wearing a traditional top hat and morning suit accented by a yellow flower pinned to his jacket.
As she stepped into the carriage, the Princess of Wales acknowledged well-wishers who called out that she looked “lovely.” She replied warmly, “Thank you. Hopefully the sun stays out,” in a moment captured on video and shared on social media. Ascot Racecourse welcomed her return in its own post, noting how pleased organizers were to have the Princess of Wales at the second day of the event. The couple’s appearance coincided with the running of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, a fitting tie-in to William’s own royal title.
King Charles III, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, again led the Royal Procession in the first carriage, as they had the previous day. The monarch and his wife were joined by Princess Margaret’s daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, and her husband, Daniel Chatto. Members of the Princess of Wales’s own family were also on hand, including her mother, Carole Middleton, and her sister-in-law, Alizée, who is married to Kate’s brother, James Middleton.
A meaningful return
Wednesday’s outing carried added weight given the Princess of Wales’s recent absences from the event. She did not attend Royal Ascot in 2024, spending much of that year away from public engagements while she was treated for cancer.
She had been expected to return in 2025, and her name initially appeared on the list for the Royal Procession. Roughly 20 minutes after that list was published, however, it emerged that the Princess of Wales would not be attending. People reported that an inaccurate carriage listing had been issued in error, and a corrected version showed Prince William riding alongside King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia instead.
The princess announced she was in remission in early 2025, but she has been candid about the challenges that follow the end of treatment. Speaking last summer during a visit to Colchester Hospital in Essex, England, she described the period after treatment as one many people underestimate. “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment,” she said. “Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult.” She added that having someone to help guide patients through that transition “is really valuable.”
Royal observers say her measured schedule reflects a deliberate approach. “She’s being sensible, listening to what her body is telling her and easing back into public life,” Queen Elizabeth’s former spokeswoman, Ailsa Anderson, told People.
A packed royal week
Wednesday’s appearance came one day after King Charles III and Queen Camilla opened this year’s Royal Ascot on June 16, riding in the Royal Procession with the Duke and Duchess of Wellington. Princess Anne followed in the second carriage with her son, Peter Phillips, and his new wife, Harriet, who had married just 10 days earlier, alongside Queen Camilla’s nephew, Sir Ben Elliot. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Queen Camilla’s niece, Alice Elliot, appeared in later carriages, while Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, and her husband, Mike Tindall, were also spotted at the racecourse.
Although it carries the “Royal” name, Royal Ascot is not an official royal family engagement. Even so, the monarchy has supported the venue since Queen Anne founded it in 1711, and the meeting was formally designated a Royal Week in 1911. The five-day fixture draws roughly 300,000 spectators each year.
The races cap a particularly busy stretch for the British royals. The family gathered for Peter and Harriet’s wedding on June 6, reunited again for Trooping the Colour on June 13, and then assembled for Garter Day at Windsor Castle two days later.