Here's Why Kate Middleton Kept Her Trooping the Colour Appearance a Secret

She made a last-minute call to a "delighted" King Charles.

Kate Middleton surprised fans with an elegant, My Fair Lady-coded appearance at the Trooping the Colour parade after initial reports suggested that she’d be skipping out on King Charles’s birthday celebration this year. The Princess of Wales’s absence at the rehearsal initially seemed to confirm she wouldn’t be making her first official appearance of the year on June 15—until she announced otherwise in an Instagram post shared just one day before Saturday’s event. According to sources, there’s a good reason why Kate kept her Trooping the Colour appearance a secret up until the last minute, and only a few people were kept in the loop about the possibility.

Princess Kate–who recently opened up about her “good days and bad days” undergoing treatment for cancer on Instagram–reportedly wanted to make sure she felt well enough to take part in all the Trooping the Colour traditions, including a carriage ride with her kids and a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance to watch the planes fly over.

King Charles’s spokesperson told Page Six that only a few people were kept in the loop about a potential appearance, and Kate’s decision was up in the air until just a few days before the annual extravaganza. Before she officially committed to going, the princess had a plan in place that included re-wearing a black-and-white Jenny Packham dress that she previously donned for a pre-coronation event back in May 2023 which she had reworked to include a striped waistband and a coquette-inspired black-and-white bow at the neckline. There were also alternative plans in case she felt sick on the day of the event.

Once she committed to attending, Kate reportedly called her father-in-law about her decision, and King Charles was “delighted” to hear she’d be joining the royals for her first public-facing event this year, according to his spokesperson. To share the news, she had royal photographer Matt Porteous come to her home to take her first official photo since announcing her cancer diagnosis in May.

Princess Kate, who was by King Charles’s side at the event, could be seen smiling and laughing with her kids, but royal expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight that the "scrutiny" she was under “took a toll” on her health.

Nicholl said there were moments the royal isn't as “strong” as she was before her health issues, noting that the event was pretty rigorous for her. "She was on her feet for a long period of time," she told the publication. "There was a moment where she was watching the parade... and was offered a seat, which she gratefully accepted. That's just a bit of an acknowledgement that she is not as strong, not as fit, as she was before she went into this treatment."

"I can only imagine that a huge amount of preparation and time and effort and energy will have gone into Saturday's appearance,” Nicholl said, adding that it was clear from Kate’s demeanor the amount of “pride that she took in being there.”

"There was no pressure on her from anyone [to attend],” Nicholl continued. “She really wanted to do this.”

For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on InStyle.