Kate Middleton looked effortlessly elegant as she stepped out to do a touch of shopping in Notting Hill this week. The Princess of Wales cut a discreet figure in a smart Max&Co longline wool coat as she popped into Finlay and Co in the London neighbourhood, chatting with staff before leaving carrying a tote bag from the spectacle brand. Wrapping up warm against the cool January weather, the mother-of-three opted to wear a black and white gingham scarf for the outing. Touchingly, it was seemingly the same scarf she wore for her birthday portrait, released earlier this month. Meanwhile Kate opted not to wear her statement engagement ring, instead donning the sapphire and diamond eternity band which has been seen on her ring finger throughout the last year.
Whilst the Princess seemingly left with a purchase from the eyewear brand, it’s not known exactly what she chose from the collection. Kate Middleton has never been seen publicly wearing spectacles, though she is a fan of the Finlay and Co brand. The royal mother-of-three opted to wear a pair of cat-eye sunglasses from the label during her tour of the Caribbean in 2022, rewearing the same spectacles for Wimbledon later that same year. Or perhaps Kate was shopping for a gift for William? The Prince of Wales has been seen in public wearing glasses on a number of occasions, including driving his family to Christmas dinner at Buckingham Palace and watching sporting fixtures like the Rugby World Cup.
It was a rare solo outing for the Princess, who has only been seen out and about a handful of times since she revealed her cancer battle in March 2024. Having completed her chemotherapy journey at the end of last year, she undertook her first public solo engagement of 2025 earlier this month. The Princess visited the Royal Marsden where she met with staff and fellow cancer sufferers, speaking briefly of her treatment for the disease. Afterwards, she shared the news she is now in remission. ‘It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focussed on recovery,’ wrote the mother-of-three on the official social media account that she shares with Prince William. ‘As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.’
The Princess’s shopping outing is just the latest in the signs she is continuing her recovery. Insiders previously told MailOnline that she has already been attending sporting fixtures, doing the school drop off and taking the children to play dates. Kate is thought to be prioritising family this year, with a source close to the Waleses telling People: ‘Life-threatening illnesses bring a reconsideration of priorities. She and William have always made it clear that family is the most important thing.’ Primarily, this appears to suggest Catherine will like spent more time at home in Adelaide Cottage and Amner Hall with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – a brief glimpse of which Catherine shared in a highly personal home video marking the end of her chemotherapy treatment.
Elsewhere, she and Prince William reportedly took their children on a private ski trip earlier this month. The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are thought to have flown out to the Alps for a ‘quiet break’ shortly after Christmas for a few days. The Mail on Sunday reported the family were seen enjoying a break from skiing at a mountaintop restaurant which ‘has panoramic views of snow-covered peaks.’ Sources described it as a ‘Middleton family knees-up’ with Kate’s brother James and his wife Alizee joining the Wales’s for the holiday. The insider explained, ‘Everyone seemed to be really happy. There were no airs and graces and actually they seemed like any normal family enjoying a ski break. There were lots of laughs and the children were very polite…Kate looked like she was having a lovely time.’
Despite the outings, there have been whispers from the palace – from insiders, from friends, from Catherine herself – that things will be different as she makes her managed return to public duties. The future queen ‘simply won’t be going back to work in the same way as before’ her diagnosis, those close to her told Rebecca English for MailOnline. ’It’s impossible to go through that kind of trauma and not to be changed as a person.’ Palace sources speaking to People magazine agreed: You can’t go through something like that and come out the other side unchanged. She is a different person now.’
