PRINCE William was seen drinking a beer and joking with royals at Ascot after the Princess of Wales pulled out of the event at the last minute.
It is understood the Princess of Wales“is disappointed” not to go but “has to find the right balance” on returning to full time duty.
Kate, 43, was listed by Royal Ascot as arriving in the carriage procession with Prince William.
But minutes later the palace revealed the mother-of-three, last seen at Order of the Garter, on Monday, had sadly dropped out to continue her recovery.
Prince William then arrived at day two of the event in a carriage looking deep in thought.
Despite the absence of his wife, William put on a brave face and was seen smiling and chatting with other royals as the day went on.
While he was no doubt missing Kate by his side, the Prince of Wales was later seen drinking pints as he tried to make the most of a glorious sunny day.
He was seen greeting others in the grandstand and cheering on horses and jockeys during a fabulous day two of racing.
It is understood the Princess is disappointed not to be there at the races.
But sources say she is trying to find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements.
The palace insist there has always been flexibility around Kate’s engagements more than a year after her cancer announcement.
She has already attended Trooping the Colour and Order of the Garter in recent days plus a visit to V&A East Storehouse last week.
Kate missed last year’s event as she stepped back from her royal duties before announcing her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.
Her diagnosis came after abdominal surgery at The London Clinic in January 2024.
She finished chemotherapy in September and announced she was in remission in January of this year.
Following her successful treatment she visited Royal Marsden Hospital to express her gratitude to the staff.
It comes as King Charles returns to the races today.
But the monarch’s horse Rainbows Edge was turned over despite being the favourite for the Kensington Palace Stakes at 5.35pm.
He and Camilla looked like they’d be celebrating a Royal success on day one with Reaching High.
But the historic horse, bred by his late mum Queen Elizabeth II, suffered a ‘stinker’ in the closing stages under Ryan Moore.
Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, had been cheering from the Royal Box yesterday but were seen leaving shortly after the loss — even with two more races to go.
Other Royals were out in force on the first day of the annual event.
Sarah Ferguson, 65, was joined by daughter Princess Beatrice, 36, and hubby Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 41.
Charles and Camilla arrived in a carriage with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud and Lady Sarah Keswick, one the Queen’s official companions, for the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession.
Peter Phillips, 47, and his NHS nurse girlfriend Harriet Sperling, 45, arrived alongside in one of the carriages.
The King, whose only Ascot win was Desert Hero in 2023, is set to attend every day of the five-day festival after The Sun revealed he was surprised at how much he enjoyed the occasion.
He had taken over his mum Queen Elizabeth II’s stable of horses. She had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign.
Earlier, Charles had written in the official racecard: “Having experienced the thrill of victory at Royal Ascot ourselves in 2023, we can only wish all those competing this week the very best of luck and that everyone watching has a most enjoyable five days.”
Timeline of Kate's health battle & recovery
JAN 16: Kate is admitted to the London Clinic for abdominal surgery
JAN 17: Kensington Palace announce the princess underwent abdominal surgery
JAN 18: William spends time at Kate’s bedside
JAN 23: The princess’ hospital stay passes one week
JAN 29: Kate leaves hospital
FEB 27: Prince William pulls out of service last-minute due to ‘personal matter’, sparking wave of unfounded conspiracy theories about Kate’s health
MAR 4: Princess pictured in the car with mum Carole on the Windsor estate
Mar 10: Royal posts a sweet snap of her and the kids for Mother’s Day– then fans started spotting flaws, and massive agencies put out ‘kill notice’ on photo
Mar 11: Kate admits she edited photo, and is snapped in car with William
Mar 16: Royal fans spot the Princess at farm shop near Windsor
Mar 17: Onlookers see Kate watching her youngsters playing sport
Mar 18: The Sun exclusively published video of Kate and Wills from two days prior
Mar 22: Kate bravely reveals in an emotional video that she was given a shock cancer diagnosis
April 29: Kate and William mark 13th anniversary releasing unseen wedding photos
June 8: Kate does not attend Colonel’s Review but pens letter to Irish Guards revealing: “I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon”
June 15: Kate attends Trooping the Colour alongside her family
July 14: Kate attends the Wimbledon Men’s Final with Princess Charlotte
August 11: Kate and William release video congratulating Team GB after the Paris Olympics
September 9: Kate shares moving video revealing she has finished chemotherapy
Jan 14: Kate reveals she is in remission after her cancer battle.
