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When Catherine Middleton wed Prince William in 2011, she committed herself to a life of royal service, taking on the mantle with pride. She quickly established herself as one of the hardest working members of the royal family. In the years since, she has barely paused for breath, only ever taking time off following the births of her three children.
This year has seen an enforced change of pace for the Princess of Wales following her shocking cancer diagnosis. An insider has revealed that the shock and pain the couple endured during this time was unthinkable. A new biography of the 42-year-old has come out that takes readers inside one of the lesser known aspects of Catherine's story.
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One of the most devastating moments of her royal career and life saw her face her worst nightmare. In 2012, the princess and her husband Prince William decided to spend some private time in the south of France. Unknown to them and their massive security team, local photographer Valerie Sa was about one kilometer away, taking photos of the couple holidaying unaware that a storm was brewing.
Within days of the photos of a nearly nude Catherine being taken, they were about to be published in the French tabloid magazine Closer. While the princess remained composed in public, immense emotions must have swirled within them in private. Back in the UK, the royal lawyers were working tirelessly to prevent further publication of the photos. However, the Wales were in a bind - there was no easy way to put out the flames without making things worse.
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Prince William immediately called his father Prince Charles and the Queen to say he was bringing in top lawyers to go after Closer. The couple came down hard, launching an unprecedented legal action in French courts even though they knew it risked drawing more attention away from their diplomatic tour. Privately, they were livid and felt isolated and violated. A royal spokesman later said William described the moment as shocking in a court statement.
Making the situation much more painful for William was that the images had been taken within days of the 15th anniversary of his mother Diana's death. While the French court banned further publication of the photos, the ruling had no wider application. The pictures went on to be splashed across several European tabloids. The next year, French authorities would launch formal investigations into the magazine's publisher and others involved. It would be six long years before the final appeal concluded, with Catherine ultimately awarded $193,000 in damages.
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This year has rightly been focused on Catherine getting well. Insiders say that for the sake of herself and her children, Catherine, who is still undergoing chemotherapy, has redoubled her commitment to get stronger. By doing so, she will slowly increase her workload. Sources say the 42-year-old is feeling anxious about getting back to work as she continues her recovery and is keen to dip her toes back into royal life, albeit gently.
It's a bittersweet time, says an insider close to the princess, who has spent most of the summer with William and their kids at their private Balmoral Castle estate as well as at Anmer Hall, their home in Norfolk. She always gets emotional before the children go back to school because it's a new milestone for them and a reminder of how fast they're growing up. But she's also excited because she's feeling much stronger. With them at school, she'll have a lot more time to focus on her work again.
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The end of the summer has Catherine feeling ready to take small steps forward while continuing her recovery. As a new school year approaches, sources say she is anxious to get back to work gently as she continues treatment, albeit in a limited fashion to start. With her children back in school, she will have more free time and looks forward to dipping her toes back into royal duties. It's an understandably bittersweet time - she's missed being active but also treasured the family time over the summer. Moving forward slowly and prioritizing her health, the Princess of Wales is determined to balance rest and royal service in the months ahead.
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