Kate Middleton quietly holds meeting with A-lister after pulling out of Royal Ascot

The Princess of Wales has quietly returned to work after she pulled out of Royal Ascot last week. 

Kate, 43, had been expected to attend the Berkshire racing festival with her husband Prince William – and was even announced in the official carriage procession – before Kensington Palace confirmed she would not be attending after all. 

MailOnline understands that the Princess was ‘disappointed’ not to be in attendance ‘but she has to find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements’.

On Wednesday this week, the Princess privately received Melinda Gates – the former wife of Microsoft Founder Bill – at Windsor Castle, marking her return to official duties. 

Kate was joined by her husband for her first engagement back in their role as patrons of the Royal Foundation, according to the Court Circular – which officially lists the royal family‘s engagements. 

The Royal Foundation is Kate and William’s primary philanthropic and charitable vehicle, and focuses on areas such as the early years and mental health. 

American philanthropist Melinda is also the founder of Pivotal Ventures, which aims to advance equality among women in the US – though the purpose of their meeting is as of yet unclear. 

It’s not known whether the Princess and Melinda have previously joined forces in the past – but she crossed paths with William in 2014 when he presented her with the Chatham House prize. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Prince William also held an investiture at the castle and granted former England manager Gareth Southgate a knighthood. 

Last week, the Princess of Wales pulled out of attending Royal Ascot at the last minute as she continues to ‘find the right balance’ following her battle with cancer.

Racegoers had been hoping to see the Princess after the Prince of Wales was named as one of the figures awarding race prizes during the second day of the meet.

Ascot officials had confirmed at 12pm that the Princess was due to be in the second carriage in the royal procession with William, in a published carriage list.

But less than half an hour later, Kensington Palace confirmed just before 12.30pm that Kate would not be attending – and a revised carriage list was published by Ascot.

Royal aides insisted the original list had issued in ‘error’, according to the Daily Mail’s Rebecca English. 

‘On some levels I actually think this is a good reminder that she was really seriously ill last year and underwent a significant period of chemo. As anyone who has been through that experience will tell you, you can feel very unwell for a long time afterwards. It can take years [to recover],’ one source said. 

‘She wants to find the right balance and work with a greater degree of flexibility than before. 

‘This is a woman who plays a very important role in the monarchy [as Princess of Wales and future Queen], but in order for her to do it, both now and in the future, she needs to get this right,’ they said. 

However, it is ‘very likely’ that Kate will be seen at Wimbledon, which starts Monday 30 June, in her role as royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

She is also expected to play a ‘significant’ part in next month’s French State Visit at Windsor Castle. 

Despite her daughter’s absence, Kate’s mother Carole Middleton did attend Ascot, wearing a dress from luxury women’s designer ME+EM – alongside her daughter-in-law Alizee Thevenet, the wife of Kate’s brother James Middleton. 

Last Friday, Kate broke her silence after her absence as she released a personal message about a cause close to her heart – for Children’s Hospice Week. 

The highly emotional note, which was signed by the princess, was shared on social media by Tŷ Hafan and children’s hospice charity Together for Short Lives, the charity for children’s palliative care. 

Kate said: ‘No parent expects to hear that their child has a serious health condition that could shorten their life. 

‘Sadly, this is the reality faced by thousands of families across the country, leaving them heart-broken, fearful of the future and often desperately isolated.

‘Being able to access the support of one of the UK’s 54 children’s hospices means they don’t have to face that future alone.’

The mother-of-three had visited Tŷ Hafan hospice in January – marking her first royal ‘away day’ since 2023 as part of her slow and steady return to royal duties following her treatment for cancer. 

The 43-year-old Princess has been making a gradual return to public duties since it was announced in January that she was in remission from cancer.

Prior to Ascot, she had attended three high-profile event in just a week – Trooping the Colour, the annual Order of the Garter service and a visit to a V&A storage facility in London.

The Princess revealed in January she was in remission from cancer after making an emotional return to the specialist cancer institution, the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, London, where she was treated to comfort fellow patients.

She had been receiving chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer since late February last year with the King beginning his cancer care earlier that month following his diagnosis after treatment for an enlarged prostate.

Announcing in September her treatment had ended, Kate described in an emotional video message how the previous nine months had been ‘incredibly tough for us as a family’ and ‘doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus’.

William later said in a separate interview how 2024 had been ‘brutal’.

Last weekend, Kate shared a sweet birthday tribute to her husband Prince William for his 43rd birthday. 

The adorable image showed the heir sitting in a field, while playing with a group of small puppies, whose mother is believed to be Orla, the Wales’ family dog.

In the image, the father-of-three is dressed casually, wearing jeans paired with a long-sleeved green button down shirt, as the puppies crawl over him sweetly.

The photograph is accompanied by a caption from the Princess of Wales and other members of their family.

It says: ‘Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!’

In the somewhat casual photograph, the Prince of Wales is seen looking pensive as he sits outside in a rural setting.

He is dressed in a button down pale blue shirt, as well as navy slacks – and in what may be a controversial move for some, he wears a very light beard. 

The image was accompanied by a simple caption which read: ‘Happy Birthday to The Prince of Wales!’. 

Earlier in the day, a tribute to William was shared by his father King Charles, in which the monarch shared  an unseen image of the heir as well as a sweet message via the Royal Family‘s official X (formerly Twitter) account.

But just days later, the royals were targeted by animal rights activists People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who branded them ‘staggeringly out of touch’ for breeding their cocker spaniels during a so-called ‘animal homelessness crisis’.

They said nobody should be ‘churning out a litter’ when animal shelters were full of dogs needing homes. 

Elisa Allen, vice president of programmes for US organisation Peta, said: ‘The Prince and Princess of Wales should know that shelters here and worldwide are overflowing with puppies desperate for a second chance at a loving home.’

She told MailOnline that ‘churning out a litter in the midst of this animal homelessness crisis is staggeringly out of touch’.

Ms Allen – who once sent Meghan Markle a vegan leather handbag as a birthday gift in 2018 – added: ‘If William is going to lead, he might well take a lesson from King Charles and Queen Camilla, who have chosen to adopt from a shelter rather than contribute to the problem.’

The Prince and Princess have had Orla since 2020, after their first dog together Lupo, also a cocker spaniel – which they were given as a wedding present from Kate’s brother James Middleton – died unexpectedly.

James is an experienced breeder and has owned three generations of cocker spaniels.

Orla gave birth to four puppies last month and the photograph was taken in Windsor on a sunny day earlier in June.

The royal couple are understood to be planning to keep one of the new puppies.

In February, Camilla told how she had adopted a rescue puppy after she was left heartbroken by the death of her beloved dog Beth.

The Queen revealed the addition to her canine family called Moley – because, in her words, the dog ‘looks just like a mole’ – when she met a fellow dog lover at an event in Canterbury, Kent.