Kensington Palace Gives a Rare Update on Princess Kate’s Return-to-Work Status

The Princess of Wales has been out of commission since January as she undergoes treatment for cancer

We’ll have to wait a while to see the Princess of Wales back on Buckingham Palace’s famous balcony.

Kensington Palace confirmed that Princess Kate will not join the royal family to attend the June 8 rehearsal for this year’s Trooping the Colour, a ceremonial event held annually to celebrate the birthday of the current British monarch. Her attendance at the June 15 event has yet to be confirmed.

the ceremony, Kate typically serves as the inspecting officer at the traditional Colonel’s Review, but this year, that role will instead go to Lieutenant General James Bucknall, KCB, CBE, People reports.

The rare update on Kate’s return-to-work status comes as the royal undergoes “preventative chemotherapy” to treat her cancer, a condition she revealed in a personal video message on March 22.

But Kate had been missing in action for months prior to her announcement, having paused her royal duties as she recovered from an abdominal surgery in January, per the palace. She last carried out an official public engagement on December 25, when she participated in the royal family’s traditional walk to Christmas morning church service on the Sandringham estate.

Although she hasn’t embarked on an official engagement since, Kate was last publicly spotted in March. At the time, a video captured her leaving a Windsor farm shop with husband Prince William at her side. And earlier this week, some publications reported that Kate had been seen running errands with her family, although no photos or videos of that outing have been published.

“The princess will return to official duties when she is cleared to do so by her medical team,” a source told Harper’s Bazaar in March. “She is in good spirits and is focused on making a full recovery.”

Meanwhile, the source said, William “will continue to balance supporting his wife and family and maintaining his official duties as he has done since the start of the year.”