Kate Middleton Is the Royal Family's 'Rockstar,' but It's a 'Huge Burden' (Exclusive)
Kate Middleton Is the Royal Family's 'Rockstar,' but It's a 'Huge Burden' (Exclusive)
Simon PerryThu, June 18, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
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Kate Middleton at Trooping the Colour on June 13, 2026 in LondonCredit: Mike Marsland/WireImage -
Kate Middleton was back in the spotlight at Trooping the Colour, King Charles' official birthday parade
The Princess of Wales is the royal family's "rockstar," author Catherine Mayer tells PEOPLE in this week's issue
Princess Kate has handled the pressure with grace during her gradual return to public life after her cancer remission announcement
The royal family is riding a wave of momentum unlike any since the start of King Charles' reign, and much of that optimism has centered on Kate Middleton.
"Kate is the closest they have to a rockstar member these days, and she's the one everyone wants to see," royals author Catherine Mayer tells PEOPLE in this week's exclusive cover story.
"That's a huge burden for anyone to carry, let alone someone who has had existential battles with her health," adds the author of Divide & Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, out June 23.
The Princess of Wales has gradually returned to public life after her cancer remission announcement in early 2025, and she is fresh from a widely praised trip to Italy in May to further her longtime early childhood work, which marked her first work trip overseas since her cancer diagnosis.
Princess Anne, Queen Camilla, King Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis and Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Colour on June 13, 2026.Credit: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty
Two years ago, the Princess of Wales also chose Trooping the Colour as the stage for her first royal event in 2024 after announcing that she was receiving cancer treatment.
"Kate not only had to look vibrant and in command of her role, but she knew she would be scrutinized more than ever," Mayer says.
Princess Kate projected poise under pressure once again at Trooping the Colour on June 13, as reminders of the royal family's lingering challenges remained at the edges of the celebration.
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Among the crowds outside the palace were protesters carrying signs about the former Prince Andrew, whose February arrest amid scrutiny tied to his association with Jeffrey Epstein cast a shadow over the monarchy in recent months.
The Princess of Wales took the outcry in stride as activists booed while her carriage passed with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, maintaining composure in the moment.
Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George travel by carriage at Trooping the Colour on June 13, 2026.Credit: Victoria Jones/Shutterstock
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While the royals gathered in London to celebrate King Charles' official birthday, Prince Harry was thousands of miles away in Texas attending Game 5 of the NBA Finals — a reminder of how far removed he has become from the royal duties and traditions that once defined his life.
His expected return to Britain in July for Invictus Games events will cast his relationship with the family back into the spotlight, with stakes raised amid reports that Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will join him in the U.K. for the first time in four years.
Yet the lasting image of Trooping pageantry was not one of absence. As the King stood alongside his heir Prince William and grandchildren George, Charlotte and Louis on the palace balcony, the monarchy's future was on display for all to see — a powerful portrait of continuity at a moment when the institution appears to have regained its footing.
"It felt like a family affair; the King will have taken absolute joy and pleasure in that," says former palace courtier Ailsa Anderson. "They are starting the summer on a high."
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