The news may have come as a surprise to the public, although the palace has been keen to make her return to public life clear. In December 2023, she enjoyed the success of her annual Christmas Carol concert, a popular event where she broke with convention by including children and animals. Little did she know that she would soon face a challenging year, one that would test the royal family significantly. As 2024 began, it initially looked promising but quickly turned grim, shattering any illusion of normality.

Planned activities for the Welsh family were put on hold. A potential trip to Italy has been cancelled, as have other engagements such as accompanying Prince William to Cape Town for an awards ceremony. The couple last travelled abroad together in 2023, but there have been no photos of it. The Welsh family have been quietly enjoying a snowy break in the French Alps at a resort called Maribel. There are currently no concrete plans for them to go on a major royal tour together.

However, royal editor Rebecca English has mentioned that William will be taking a number of solo trips abroad in the coming months, signaling Catherine's continued recovery. Talking about her health journey reminds everyone that recovery is often inconsistent. There will be events she can attend and others she can't, especially as she is the mother of three young children. While she may miss some events in the short term, there is hope that she will return to public service.

In January of last year, Catherine underwent planned abdominal surgery and then largely disappeared from the public eye, leading to bizarre conspiracy theories about her absence. Her reappearance with William at a Windsor farm shop in March did little to quell speculation, and a sweet family photo that was expected for Mother's Day only fueled the rumors further due to her amateurish photo editing mistakes. Less than two weeks later, things took a dramatic turn when Catherine revealed her cancer diagnosis and began preventative chemotherapy. Thankfully, in September, she shared a video celebrating her cancer-free status, although the story didn't end there.

A Buckingham Palace insider noted that people should expect to see less of Catherine in the future, as she will now focus on her family and children. Like many people who have faced serious health issues, she will prioritize what is really important to her  her children. Ironically, while the Welsh family happily socialized with the public on holiday, Meghan Markle was seen enjoying the beach in California. It is surprising that Meghan has previously portrayed herself as being restrained in the royal family. Those familiar with the royal family know that the late Queen Elizabeth wore bright colours to stand out from the crowd, in contrast to Meghan's story of feeling oppressed or hidden.