Kate Middleton Will Not Attend Traditional Trooping the Colour Rehearsal Next Month, Palace Confirms

Kate Middleton will not attend the main dress rehearsal for Trooping the Color in June.

Kensington Palace confirmed on May 30 that the Princess of Wales, 42, will not be performing her usual role as inspector at the traditional colonel review on June 8. Instead, the honor will go to Lieutenant General James Bucknall, KCB, CBE.

Princess Kate (42) has not been standing out since she revealed on March 22 that she had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. However, she has recently been seen out and about with her family and her freelance business, sources told PEOPLE.

It remains to be seen whether he will come to Trooping the Color on June 15. PEOPLE understands the royals’ attendance will be confirmed closer to the date.

Prince William said earlier this month that his wife was “doing well”, although palace sources said she was not expected to return to work until her medical team cleared her to do so.

The Wales family on the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Color on June 17, 2023.

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It is also known that King Charles, 75, will attend Trooping the Color amid his own cancer treatment, and will carry out an inspection while sitting in an Ascot landau carriage alongside Queen Camilla. The king rode a horse at the patriotic event last June for the first rally of his royal reign and revived the equestrian tradition for the first time in 37 years. His late mother Queen Elizabeth last rode in a procession on her beloved Burmese horse in 1986, and in the years that followed she opted for a carriage.

King Charles resumed advanced duties at the end of April after Buckingham Palace announced in February that he was being treated for cancer, and his wife Queen Camilla said he was “thrilled” to return to public work.

Prince William at the colonel’s review before trooping the color on June 10, 2023.

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The news of Trooping comes after King Charles and Prince William canceled public engagements last week after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on May 22 that a general election would be held in July. At the time, Buckingham Palace said the royals would postpone outings “which could appear to be a distraction or distraction from the election campaign”, and some wondered if Trooping would be ruled out.

Kate Middleton at Trooping the Color on June 17, 2023.

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Members of the British royal family are constitutionally apolitical and traditionally leave the public space during campaigns to keep the public’s attention on elections and the key issues they represent. However, political activity does not negate all outings, and the Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the King’s Birthday parade is specific to the national calendar and should therefore go ahead.

King Charles and Queen Camilla on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Color in June 2023.

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Trooping the Color is a British military parade for the sovereign’s official birthday, associated with the special occasion since 1748 and usually held in June. The Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the trooping will take place as previously planned on June 15, allaying speculation amid Princess Kate and King Charles’ cancer diagnoses, as well as the upcoming UK general election on July 4.

The Irish Guards, supported by Princess Kate as colonel, will “plant their colours” or ceremonially present their regimental flag this year, as the duty rotates between the Home Guard’s five regiments each year. The Colonel’s Review is usually held a week before trooping and is a formal state parade.

A military source previously told PEOPLE that “the purpose of the colonel’s review is to decide that they are ready for the monarch,” and Prince William, 41, took over in June 2023 when it was the Welsh Guard’s turn last year.

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Source: HIS Education