Prince Philip's Birthday Is A Reminder Of How Cold The Monarchy Has Become Without Kate Middleton

As Kate Middleton continues to stay out of the public eye amid her cancer treatments, the royal family is attempting to carry out their duties, but they failed to acknowledge an important date. The late Prince Philip's 103rd birthday came and went on June 10, 2024, but there were crickets from the palace. Neither Prince William and Kate's shared account on X, formerly known as Twitter, nor the royal family's official account released a birthday statement honoring the Duke of Edinburgh. Their silence was only more deafening with Westminster Abbey's post, "Remembering HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was born #onthisday in 1921."

Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99. A year after his death, the palace posted a tribute on X, "Remembering His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the first anniversary of his death." The tribute included a link to a website highlighting Philip's long life and accomplishments. The royal family also honored his birthday in 2021 with an Instagram post that read, "Last week, The Queen was given a Duke of Edinburgh rose to mark what would have been The Duke's 100th birthday ... Named in The Duke's memory, the rose is planted in the East Terrace Garden, Windsor Castle." Along with Prince Philip's birthday, the monarchy also failed to acknowledge the anniversary of his death this year, and it just shows how the palace is struggling to keep up appearances.

Prince William resumed his royal duties in April 2024 after stepping away for a brief period following both Kate Middleton and King Charles III's cancer diagnoses. However, Kate is still focusing on her health in private among her close family members. As reported by ABC News, Prince William gave an update on Kate Middleton's health as he made an appearance to greet World War II vets on June 6. He told a well-wisher that she was getting better and added, "She would've loved to be here today." Kate was also noticeably absent from the June 8 rehearsal for the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which is set to take place on June 15. In a letter shared by the Irish Guards on X, the Duchess of Cambridge wrote, "Being your colonel remains a great honor and I am very sorry that I'm unable to take the salute at this year's Colonel's Review. Please pass my apologies to the whole regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon."

Despite her hopeful message, Kate is reportedly going to take a leave of absence from royal duties for several more months, possibly even until 2025, Us Weekly reports. Her return might not be in full capacity either, as a source shared, "She may never come back in the role that people saw her in before."