The Army is set to update its claims on its Trooping the Colour website after ‘jumping the gun’ by insisting the Princess of Wales will be at the event in June without consulting the Palace.
Tickets had gone on sale via the army website advertising Kate, 42, reviewing a ‘practice’ parade for the first time on June 8 in her role as honorary colonel of the Irish Guards.
It also announced that Charles, 75, would be reviewing his own official birthday parade on June 15 at Horse Guards.
But within minutes of the tickets going on sale, there were warnings that the MoD may have ‘jumped the gun’.
Kensington Palace sources made clear that they were ‘not consulted’ on the MoD announcement and said that any confirmed attendance by the princess would be made ‘only’ by themselves.
The Princess of Wales is seen during last year’s Trooping the Colour on June 17 in London
Kate, Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte looking up at the sky during last year’s Trooping the Colour event
Kate is seen at her last public outing on Christmas Day before she stepped away from the spotlight
Buckingham Palace confirmed that planning for future engagements was continuing despite the King’s ongoing cancer treatment yet stressed that changes could be made nearer the time depending on his health.
He is undertaking a very limited number of in-person engagements and certainly not anything with large crowds, on doctors’ advice.
The confusion has added to the sense of unease around the Royal Family, given that two of its most senior members are largely out of action for substantial periods.
Insiders have said, given the profile of the occasions, that it is likely that both the monarch and his daughter-in-law would do everything within their power to attend.
Royal expert Phil Dampier said: ‘I’m sure the Princess of Wales will be well enough to attend Trooping the Colour and Kensington Palace has said that she’s recovering well from abdominal surgery.
‘We will probably see her at Easter and then hopefully a lot of the wild rumours going about online will die down. Having said that it doesn’t help when you get mix-ups about announcements like this.’
Kate is recuperating from what has been described as ‘planned abdominal surgery’ and is unlikely to return to duties until after Easter.
The MoD are said to have ‘jumped the gun’ when The Army published event details for Trooping the Colour
The MoD said Trooping the Colour will be ‘reviewed’ by the Princess on June 8 this year
Gary Goldsmith entered the Celebrity Big Brother house as a contestant last night
Her absence from public events and the scant detail given about her condition and recuperation has led to wild social media conspiracy theories about what might be wrong with the princess.
On Monday, however, she was photographed by paparazzi being driven to Windsor by her mother, Carole Middleton, the first time she has been seen in public since Christmas Day.
The pictures were published on US gossip website, TMZ, but not in the UK where Kensington Palace has appealed for her to be able to recover in private.
Trooping the Colour – the historic celebration of the sovereign’s ‘official’ birthday – is one of the biggest events in the royal calendar with more than 1,400 soldiers from the Household Division and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery taking part.
The regiment trooping the colour – in other words, holding the regimental flag – varies each year, with the 2nd Battalion Irish Guards being given the honour in 2024. In the run-up to the King’s birthday parade two reviews are held, one of which is the colonel’s parade.
Last year the role of honorary colonel of the Irish Guards was handed over by Prince William to his wife – now Colonel Catherine – who would normally personally conduct the inspection.
The MoD’s website has advertised tickets for the event, with the overview stating that Trooping the Colour is ‘reviewed by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales’.
They added: ‘For Trooping the Colour reviewed by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, seated, standing and wheelchair tickets are all available to purchase from the 4th March 2024.’
Meanwhile, King Charles and Queen Camilla are due at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samona later in the year, and then are due in and New Zealand, as confirmed the other day be the n Prime Minister.
‘But both the King and Kate will act on the advice of their doctors and they won’t want them stressing about events in several months’ time,’ said Mr Dampier.
‘If an announcement is made and then withdrawn it only fuels conspiracy theories so it’s essential that all departments dealing with these events talk to each other.’
It comes as Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith slammed wild conspiracy theories about his niece’s health as she recovers from surgery.
Kate spent almost a fortnight at Marylebone’s The London Clinic after having abdominal surgery but was discharged on January 29.
Goldsmith, who entered the Celebrity Big Brother house as a contestant last night, previously described his royal niece as ‘beautiful’ and branded the racism claims against her as ‘bull****’.