Buckingham Palace Confirms Kate Middleton Will Join Prince William for Visit From French President

Princess Kate Middleton will join Prince William for a carriage ride through the streets of Windsor with French President Emmanuel Macron when he visits next week, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Macron, 47, and his wife, Brigitte, are scheduled to visit the U.K. on Wednesday, July 8. Kate and William, both 43, will greet them at an airbase near London before the four proceed to Windsor, where King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be waiting.

Charles, 76, and Camilla, 77, will then join the party in a carriage procession through town.

Kate’s involvement in the ceremony is significant as it comes on the heels of the most recent state visit in December from the Amir of the State of Qatar. The Princess of Wales was absent for major parts of the visit from Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, as she continued her recovery from cancer treatment.

During that visit, she helped greet the couple and took part in the parade but was absent from the banquet.

Just last month, Kate was scheduled to appear at the Royal Ascot before the list of attendees was revised at the last minute and William attended with Charles and Camilla.

Kate’s presence during Macron’s visit is a welcome sign after she gave a candid update about her health earlier in the week when he visited Colchester Hospital in Essex on Wednesday, July 2.

“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment,” she said. “Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult.”

“You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to,” she continued. “And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable.”

Kate added that as she adjusted to life post-treatment, she struggled to find her “new normal.”

“That takes time,” she said, “and it’s a roller-coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be. But the reality is you go through hard times.”

Kate first announced in March 2024 that doctors had diagnosed her with an undisclosed type of cancer. She immediately stepped back from public duties as she was undergoing chemotherapy and announced her treatment was completed in September of last year.

“As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment,” she said at the time. “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.”