Prince William and his mother-in-law Carole Middleton shared the sweetest interaction at Royal Ascot on Wednesday after Princess Kate unfortunately had to pull out of the event at the last minute. Kensington Palace confirmed on the day that the Princess of Wales would be skipping the races, which she had previously been scheduled to attend.
According to unnamed royal sources, Kate pulled out of the event as she continues to find "the right balance" for her working and personal life following her cancer diagnosis and treatment last year, as reported by BBC News. Meanwhile, the Princess was apparently "disappointed" to miss the royal calendar staple.
William attended despite his wife's absence, arriving at the races alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla. The Prince of Wales also had plenty of others in his corner, as Kate's mum Carole Middleton was in attendance alongside James Middleton's wife Alizee Thevenet.
Carole was generous with her support for William on the day, with a body language expert sharing what her attitude at the races said about their relationship, including the warm hug she gave her royal son-in-law. "Carole's Ascot mood appeared upbeat and cheerful, but here with William her strong, intense-looking eye-gaze with a questioning-looking expression and a small frown of concern looks very maternal and caring," Judi James told the Mirror US.
"William does tend to get surrounded by royal 'aunties' when he appears here without Kate and Carole seems to be one of the group of support, along with Zara and Sophie. Her hug looks loving and warmly intimate and the way it's performed smoothly despite the wide brim of her hat suggests a close, relaxed relationship." William and Carole's sweet friendship was already evident at Royal Ascot last year, when the two were pictured clutching hands.
Kate revealed to the public that she had been diagnosed with cancer in March 2024, having retreated from her royal duties since after Christmas. Happily, the Princess shared that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment in September, but was careful to note that she didn't yet consider herself entirely out of the woods, and would be taking things one step at a time — which is exactly what she decided to do yesterday.
