• Kate Middleton announced she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer on March 22.
• She didn't attend royal events for nearly six months amid her health struggles. 
• But on Saturday, the princess returned to public duty at Trooping the Colour.

Kate Middleton finally returned to the public eye.

On March 22, the Princess of Wales revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for an unspecified type of cancer after months of speculation.

Kensington Palace previously announced that Kate had a "planned abdominal surgery" in January, saying she likely wouldn't return to public duty until after Easter.

As time passed, her absence led conspiracy theories about the princess to run rampant online, some of which were bolstered after Kensington Palace released an edited photo of Kate and her children on March 10.

But Kate spoke directly to the public about her health to announce her illness, revealing her diagnosis and reiterating a request for privacy in a video shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales' social-media accounts.

And on Saturday, Kate attended King Charles' birthday celebration, Trooping the Colour, marking her first official public appearance in 2024. She also gave a public update about her health ahead of the event.

Here's everything we know so far.

Kate Middleton made her most recent public appearance on Christmas Day.

Kate joined the royal family for their annual walk from Sandringham in Norfolk, England, to attend a church service on Christmas Day.

The Princess of Wales walked with her children and husband to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in one of her signature coatdresses, much like she did in years past.

On January 17, Kensington Palace announced Kate was in the hospital for "a planned abdominal surgery."

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Kensington Palace said in its statement that Kate would remain in the hospital, The London Clinic, for up to two weeks following the procedure.

"Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for planned abdominal surgery," the statement read. "The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

Kensington Palace provided no additional information about what procedure Kate underwent, though the palace told the Associated Press the princess didn't have cancer.

The statement also said Kate hoped "her personal medical information remains private" to help provide her children with "normality."

"Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness' progress when there is significant new information to share," the statement went on to say.

Prince William was photographed visiting Kate at the hospital the following day.

Kensington Palace said on January 29 that Kate had returned to Windsor Castle.

"The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery," the statement shared on Instagram said. "She is making good progress."

William and Kate went on to thank the staff at The London Clinic in the statement, as well as those who sent them well wishes.

The same day, Buckingham Palace announced King Charles was returning home after having a procedure for a benign prostate enlargement.

Buckingham Palace announced on February 5 that King Charles has cancer.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement that "a separate issue of concern was noted" during the king's prostate procedure, and additional testing disclosed he has cancer. The palace didn't disclose what form of cancer he was diagnosed with, though they said it wasn't prostate cancer.

The statement also said that the king "commenced a schedule of regular treatments" and that although he would still be working from home, he would "postpone public-facing duties" per medical advice.

The palace didn't specify how long the king would forgo public-facing work.

"His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer," the statement also said.

Prince William returned to public duty on February 7.

William paused his royal engagements amid Kate's surgery and recovery, returning to work on February 7 for an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

The same day, he attended a gala raising money for the London Air Ambulance, and he thanked the public for their messages of support for Kate, Town & Country reported.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days," he said, adding that "it means a great deal to us all."

He has attended a handful of public events since. The public was predicted to look to William in Charles and Kate's absences, as he represents the monarchy's future as heir to the throne.

"It's an opportunity for him to communicate on behalf of the royal family," Eric Schiffer, the chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, said.

In addition, the public generally responds to younger royals more favorably. Without Kate, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, William's youth could be a boon for the monarchy, as Kristen Meizner, a royal watcher, told BI.

"They are most focused on the royals when they are of courtship age, getting married, having babies, that kind of thing," she said. "They're not necessarily considered as dazzling or as exciting to the public when they're 60 or 70 or whatnot."

Kate was reported on February 9 to have traveled to Norfolk to continue her recovery.

On February 9, the Daily Mail reported that Kate had joined her family at their home in Sandringham, Anmer Hall, for her children's half-term holiday.

The outlet also reported that her recovery was going well at the time.

Kate wasn't photographed during her trip from Windsor to Sandringham.

King Charles was photographed a few times throughout February, while Kate remained unseen.

Although he isn't taking on public-facing duties, King Charles has still been photographed a few times since his cancer diagnosis and the beginning of his treatment.

On February 11, he and Queen Camilla were spotted going to church in Sandringham, and he was photographed meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on February 21 at Buckingham Palace.

Kate, on the other hand, remained absent, as Kensington Palace released no photos or videos of her.

William released a rare solo statement on February 20.

A statement from The Prince of Wales pic.twitter.com/LV2jMx75DC

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 20, 2024

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Typically, William and Kate have released statements as a pair since they got married.

But on February 20, Kensington Palace released a statement on only William's behalf regarding the conflict in Gaza, in which he said he remained "deeply concerned about the human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October."

"I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible," the statement said. "There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza."

William also said he continued "to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found, and I refuse to give up on that."

In addition to speaking for only William, the statement had a "W" seal at the top rather than the crown featured on messages from the Prince and Princess of Wales as a unit.

William missed a service of thanksgiving on February 27 because of an unnamed personal matter.

On February 27, members of the royal family attended a service of thanksgiving for King Constantine of Greece, King Charles' second cousin and close companion. He was one of William's godfathers.

William was set to attend the event alongside Queen Camilla and other family members but missed the service because of a personal matter, Kensington Palace told Business Insider.

A palace representative also told BI that Kate was doing well, but they didn't elaborate on what caused William to miss the event.

Following his absence, chatter about Kate's prolonged absence from the public eye erupted on social media, with users speculating about why she hasn't been seen in months. The princess was trending on X, and thousands of people posted about her on TikTok. "Kate Middleton" was also sixth on Google's list of trending search terms on February 27, highlighting how high public interest got in her absence.

Kensington Palace reiterated that Kate was "doing well" as William returned to public duty on February 29.

On February 29, Prince William resumed public duty, visiting the Western Marble Arch Synagogue to learn about the Holocaust Educational Trust, as Kensington Palace shared on Instagram.

He sat down with a Holocaust survivor, Renee Salt. Rebecca English, a royal editor for the Daily Mail, reported on X that during the conversation, he spoke on behalf of himself and Kate.

"Both Catherine and I are extremely concerned about the rise in antisemitism," English quoted the prince as saying to Salt. "That's why I'm here today to reassure you all that people do care and people do listen, and we can't let that go."

Kensington Palace also reiterated that Kate was "doing well" in a statement sent to BI on February 29.

"We gave guidance two days ago that The Princess of Wales continues to be doing well," the statement said. "As we have been clear since our initial statement in January, we shall not be providing a running commentary or providing daily updates."

Kate was spotted for the first time in 2024 on March 4.

On March 4, a sunglasses-clad Princess of Wales was seen riding in a car with her mother, Carole Middleton, in photos obtained by Backgrid and shared by TMZ.

According to TMZ, the pair were driving near Windsor Castle when they were photographed, and no other royals or security appeared to accompany them on the drive.

The sighting came as Queen Camilla announced she was taking a break from filling in for her husband at royal engagements until March 11.

After initially indicating she would attend, the British army removed references to Kate from online tickets for a June event shared on March 5.

On March 5, outlets like BBC News reported that Kate's name was included on tickets released online to The Colonel's Review, an event the British army hosts amid Trooping the Colour, on June 8. Kate was named the Colonel of The Irish Guards in December 2022, and the Colonel typically participates in the Review.

Many took her inclusion on the tickets as a sign she was on track to return to work in the summer. But then, the army quickly removed all references to Kate after the tickets were released because Kensington Palace had not confirmed she would attend.

A source close to the situation told Business Insider's Mikhaila Friel the army didn't get approval from Kensington Palace to include references to the princess in the tickets, leading to the confusion.

The palace didn't respond to a request for comment from BI on the matter.

Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate with her children for Mother's Day — but the photo was immediately met with suspicion.

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March 10 was Mother's Day in the UK, and to commemorate the occasion, Kensington Palace released the first official portrait of Kate since Christmas.

In the photo, Kate sits in a chair surrounded by her children, who are all giggling. According to the caption they shared on social media alongside the image, William took the picture of his family in 2024, and the photo appeared to come directly from Kate, as she signed the caption, "C," which stands for Catherine.

"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," she wrote. "Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day."

But shortly after it was released, people began to speculate the photo had been edited. Photo editor Patrick Witty told BI's Shubhangi Goel it was "astonishing" the palace released the photo at all because of issues in the image, pointing to areas where the picture is blurred and things that seemed to be added to the shot during the editing process, like a zipper on Kate's jacket.

Later that day, multiple photo agencies removed the picture from their platforms.

On March 10, Reuters, the Associated Press, and the French organization Agence France-Presse sent kill notices for the picture, which means the picture is no longer available for distribution through their platforms.

Reuters said it removed the picture after a "post-publication review," while the AP said explicitly in its kill notice that it wouldn't distribute the photo because "it appears the source has manipulated the image. No replacement photo will be sent."

Kensington Palace has been accused of editing photos of the royals before, as was the case with the Waleses' 2023 Christmas card, but the photo released March 10 is the first to be killed by photo agencies.

The palace did not respond to a request for comment on the editing controversy.

Kate personally apologized for "any confusion" the picture caused on March 11.

On March 11, Kate addressed the controversy surrounding the photo in a statement released on social media, seeming to take responsibility for the manipulated image.

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote on X. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."

Notably, the statement was signed by Kate alone. Kensington Palace typically speaks on behalf of the couple as a unit, and the royals said in their post on Sunday that William took the shot.

The statement didn't appear to convince royal watchers online. Kate was trending on X, and the edited image had been viewed over 72 million times on the platform as of Monday.

William and Kate were photographed together on March 11 before he attended a Commonwealth Day service.

A few hours after the princess posted on X, the Daily Mail released a photo of William and what appeared to be Kate in a car together leaving Windsor Castle.

Kate is looking out of the window in the shot, so only her profile is visible. According to the outlet, Kate was going to "a private appointment," and William was en route to a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.

William was photographed alongside Queen Camilla at the Commonwealth Day service after the photo of him and Kate was published.

Multiple tabloids released a video of what appeared to be Kate and William shopping in Windsor on March 18.

#KateMiddleton seemed to be in good spirits while out and about with #PrinceWilliam Saturday. https://t.co/kLUsfvt3b2 (🎥: TMZ/The Sun) pic.twitter.com/EqbtVojBcw

— TMZ (@TMZ) March 18, 2024

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On March 17, The Sun reported that William and Kate were spotted shopping at a "farm shop" near Adelaide Cottage, their home on the grounds of Windsor Castle. But The Sun's coverage didn't include any images of the prince and princess.

Then, on March 18, TMZ and The Sun released a video of what appeared to be William and Kate walking through the market, holding shopping bags.

The video was grainy, and Kensington Palace did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the matter.

On March 22, Kate announced she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy in a video, speaking directly to the public.

On March 22, Kensington Palace uploaded a video of Kate speaking directly to a camera on its social media.

In the video, Kate said that her abdominal surgery in January was successful, but "tests after the operation found cancer had been present."

Her medical team recommended she "undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy" after reviewing the tests, as Kate said in the video. She began treatment in late February, according to a press release shared with BI.

The princess said that the diagnosis was a "shock" and that she and William "have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family," adding that determining how to share the news with their children was difficult.

"As I have said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body, and spirits," Kate said.

In the press release shared with BI, Kensington Palace said it would not be revealing what kind of cancer Kate has, nor what stage her cancer is.

The release also said Kate will return to work "when she is cleared to do so by her medical team."

In the video, Kate reiterated Kensington Palace's previous requests for privacy.

"We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment," she said.

The Prince and Princess of Wales marked their anniversary with a private photo of their wedding on April 28.

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To celebrate their 13th anniversary, Kate and William shared a never-before-seen photo from their wedding on Instagram.

The caption on the post was simple, reading, "13 years ago today!"

Kensington Palace has not released a picture of the couple together in 2024.

William said Kate was "doing well" during a royal engagement on May 10.

Since her video announcement, Kensington Palace has not released an official update on Kate's health.

But on May 10, William said Kate was "doing well" when asked about her health in a video recorded by Sky News.

Kate apologized for missing a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour on June 8.

Kate became Colonel of the Irish Guards in 2022, inheriting the title from Prince William. As the Colonel, she's meant to oversee the Colonel's Review, a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, the king's official birthday celebration. However, Kate was unable to attend this year.

The Irish Guards shared a letter from Kate on X, in which she apologized for missing the rehearsal.

"Being your Colonel remains a great honour, and I am very sorry that I am unable to take the salute at this year's Colonel's Review," she wrote. "Please pass my whole apologies to the Regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon."

On Friday, Kate announced she is attending Trooping the Colour, her first royal event of 2024.

I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months. It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times.

I am making good progress, but as anyone going… pic.twitter.com/J1jTlgwRU8

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 14, 2024

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On Friday, Kate announced in a post on Kensington Palace's official social-media accounts that she would attend Trooping the Colour. The event, which will take place on Saturday, marks Kate's first official appearance of the year and her first since publicly sharing her cancer diagnosis.

In the post, accompanied by a new photograph of Kate taken at her home in Windsor earlier this week, the princess wrote that she was making "good progress" with her chemotherapy treatment, adding that there are "good days and bad days."

"On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well," she wrote.

Kate added that her treatment is ongoing but that she is starting to do "a little work from home" and hopes to be able to join other "public engagements over the summer."

"I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty," she added. "Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal."

"I'm looking forward to attending The King's Birthday Parade this weekend with my family," she wrote, adding that she is grateful for the public's "continued understanding" and support.

Buckingham Palace previously confirmed to the BBC that King Charles would also attend his official birthday celebration, though he will ride in a carriage instead of on horseback.

Kate stuck close to her family throughout Trooping the Colour on Saturday.

During the parade, Kate rode in a carriage with George, Charlotte, and Louis, smiling and waving to the crowd.

She later watched the RAF flyover from Buckingham Palace's balcony alongside William, her children, and other senior members of the royal family, including King Charles.

William and Kate shared a series of photos from Trooping the Colour on their official social-media accounts on Sunday.

"A memorable day at The King's Birthday Parade," the caption of their post read. "From the Irish Guards Trooping their colour to seeing so many faces on the Mall, thank you for making it a day to remember."

• My family of four ate dinner at STK Steakhouse for the first time.
• Our meal cost $460 and included drinks, side dishes, four entrées, and a shared dessert.
• We loved the side dishes and dessert, but the loud music was a little too much for my family.

There aren't a lot of chain restaurants at Disney World, and with lots of dining options across the parks, my family hasn't been to many of the property's franchises. But recently, my husband, two teens, and I visited STK Steakhouse at Disney Springs for the first time.

STK walks the line between an upscale steak house and a trendy lounge — it's known for having live DJs spinning club-style music while diners feast on entrées like seafood, lamb, and beef.

In addition to Orlando, the restaurant has several locations in the US and worldwide, including New York City, Toronto, Milan, and Dubai.

However, the chain's parent company, The One Group, reported that first-quarter revenue at STK was down nearly 7% from 2023, so I wondered if the chain's food and dining experience would really match the high-end image it depicts.

Here's what our experience at STK Steakhouse was like.

STK Steakhouse is known for its steaks, raw bar, and specialty cocktails.

STK Steakhouse has over 25 locations worldwide. It's known for its steaks, impressive raw bar, long lists of craft cocktails, and happy hour. I'd heard a lot about STK from friends, so I was curious to try it for myself.

My family visited STK on a Friday evening for dinner. We sat in the main dining room, decorated with vibrant flowers and neon lights and booming with music spun by a live DJ.

We started our meal with a round of drinks.

To kick off our Friday-night meal, my husband ordered a $22 Cucumber Stiletto cocktail made with vodka, muddled mint, and cucumber.

My daughter and I ordered nonalcoholic mocktails, mine with muddled watermelon ($12) and hers a virgin mojito ($8). My son, who has simpler tastes, was happy with a $4 soda.

Later in the meal, I ordered a $4 glass of club soda, and my husband ordered a $21 glass of Champagne and an $18 glass of wine.

We liked the pull-apart bread, which was topped with blue cheese and served with chive olive oil.

The restaurant's complimentary pull-apart sourdough bread was topped with blue-cheese butter and served with chive olive oil for dipping. We found STK's bread service unique and delicious — a nice change from the plain rolls and butter often served at restaurants.

When my husband tried STK's oysters, he had a few notes.

My husband ordered a half-dozen oysters from STK's raw-bar menu for $31. He liked that the dish came with two oyster varieties, but he noticed they were still connected to their shells.

I'm not an oyster eater, but he commented that he's used to eating them already severed from the shell. In this case, he was surprised to have to cut each one out himself.

Still, he found the oysters fresh and flavorful and liked the cocktail and mignonette sauces they were served with.

We shared a wedge-salad appetizer that cost nearly $30.

We almost always order a wedge salad at a steak house, so we were sure to try the blue-iceberg option. The $26 salad, topped with creamy blue cheese, bacon, and cherry tomatoes, was beautiful and tasted great.

Our only note? It was a little difficult to eat. When trying to cut through the lettuce, part of the salad flew across the table and made a mess.

I ordered filet mignon as my entrée.

I'm a filet-mignon girl through and through, and I loved to see a peppery au poivre sauce on the menu.

I ordered a 6-ounce filet ($59) and added au poivre sauce at no extra charge. Adding an additional sauce would've been a $2 upcharge.

My filet was delicious, buttery, easy to cut, and cooked to a perfect medium temperature. It was crisp and salty on the outside, and the inside was tender and moist. The peppery, creamy au poivre sauce added even more flavor.

My husband tried the New-York strip.

My husband wanted to try STK's ribeye spinalis — ribeye caps known for being tender cuts of meat. Unfortunately, the restaurant was out of this dish the evening we went.

Instead, he tried the 14-ounce New-York strip steak with au poivre sauce, which cost $71. Like me, he was pleased with everything about his steak, including its bold flavor.

Our side dishes were the stars of the meal.

The real MVPs of our meal were the side dishes my husband and I shared. We chose Yukon-gold mashed potatoes ($19) and crispy Brussels sprouts ($19), served family-style for the table.

The buttery mashed potatoes, topped with crispy Parmesan cheese, were pillowy and delicious. The crispy, perfectly cooked Brussels sprouts were full of bacon pieces and glazed with a sweet-cider mixture that added an incredible flavor and brought the entire dish together.

My daughter's pasta dish cost almost $60, which seemed a little pricey.

My daughter ordered the mushroom-and-truffle tagliatelle, which featured decadent pecorino cheese, an assortment of mushrooms, and shaved black truffle.

The delicious $58 dish was packed with smooth and earthy mushroom flavor, but it felt expensive. However, she was happy with her choice and loved having leftovers the following day.

My son wanted a burger but had to settle for wagyu sliders.

My son is a simple eater and loves trying steak-house-style burgers when we dine at high-end chains. Unfortunately, he was disappointed that there wasn't a full-sized burger on the STK menu.

Instead, he ordered Lil' Brgs wagyu sliders ($28) from the appetizer menu with only cheese to suit his picky palate. Since the sliders didn't come with a side, we spent an additional $19 for a family-style side of fries.

In his ranking of steak-house burgers, STK was at the bottom, so it wouldn't be a spot he'd recommend for slider enthusiasts.

Our elevated doughnut dessert was out of this world.

Another bright spot in our meal at STK was the $16 Bag O' Donuts, which the four of us shared. The cinnamony, sugary doughnuts were served warm in a small paper bag and came with three dipping sauces.

Though the dulce de leche and chocolate sauces were very good, we all kept going back to dip our warm doughnuts into the raspberry sauce, a clear winner of the trio.

Unfortunately, parts of our meal felt out of sync, and there were lags in service time.

At the beginning of our meal, my husband ordered Champagne with his oyster course and a glass of red wine with his steak. However, both of these drinks came out closer to when he was finishing the course, not as an accompaniment to the dishes.

Our food seemed to come out promptly and on schedule, but we had long waits for small things like additional drinks, water refills, and to-go boxes. Our server was amazing and attentive at our table. Still, it was clear that he was stretched thin over many tables full of diners on a busy Friday night.

Additionally, every STK location has loud, club-style music spun by a live DJ. In this case, the noise level was a bit high for our liking. When we dine out with our kids, we prefer to talk with them, not shout over music to be heard.

I also think STK may not be the best dining option for parents of small kids with sensory issues because it can be a little overwhelming.

Our meal at STK tasted great, but I'm not sure I'd go back.

Our meal at STK was very good, but I'm not sure I'd return to the steak house with my family of four.

We've paid similar prices at other steak-house chains and found them to be quieter, more relaxing dining environments. We also enjoyed the food and service at these more relaxed restaurants just a bit more.

However, my husband and I would return to the bar for happy hour or to have drinks and share an appetizer. The vibe at this high-end steak restaurant is distinctly more grown-up and club-like than some of its competitors, so for us adults, that may be a better fit.

• Biden doesn't want swing voters to forget Donald Trump is a convicted felon.
• The Biden campaign is spending $50 million on a media blitz that includes a biting attack ad on Trump. 
• The ad highlights Trump's conviction while painting Biden as "fighting for your family."

Joe Biden isn't wasting any time using Donald Trump's felony conviction to his advantage — and he's spending big bucks to do it.

The Biden campaign announced on Monday that it's shelling out $50 million for an advertising blitz against Trump, including a TV ad that will begin running in all battleground states.

And all that money is just for the remainder of June alone — a crucial few weeks ahead of the first presidential debate on June 27.

The 30-second "Character Matters" TV ad zeroes in on Trump's legal troubles: his 34 felony convictions and losses in court that found he was liable for sexual assault and committed financial fraud.

In contrast, the ad says, Joe Biden has been at work "lowering healthcare costs and making big corporations pay their fair share."

"This election is between a convicted criminal who's only out for himself, and a president who's fighting for your family," the ad concludes.

"Trump approaches the first debate as a convicted felon who continues to prove that he will do anything and harm anyone if it means more power and vengeance for Donald Trump," the campaign's Communications Director, Michael Tyler, said in a statement.

"That's why he was convicted, that's why he encouraged a violent mob to storm the Capitol on January 6, and it's why his entire campaign is an exercise in revenge and retribution; because that man is blind to the people a president should be serving and will do absolutely anything for his own personal gain and for his own power," Tyler continued.

Trump and his campaign have painted his legal woes as part of political persecution, alleging without evidence that Biden himself has orchestrated a conspiracy against his rival.

Biden is in charge of the federal government; Trump's legal losses have all occurred in state-run courts.

The Biden campaign's media blitz also includes a seven-figure investment targeting Black, Hispanic, and Asian American voters.

That includes separate ads highlighting the importance of the Affordable Care Act on Asian American and Hawaiian Pacific Islander voters, emphasizing Biden's fight against corporate greed to Spanish speakers, and underscoring the positive impact Biden has had on Black communities, the campaign said in its statement.

The campaign is seeking to reverse recent polling that shows Trump with a narrow but durable lead nationally and in key swing states. Even states that have trended reliably Democratic like Virginia are showing a virtual tie, according to recent polling.

Meanwhile, Biden's approval rating has fallen to record lows as progressive young voters hammer his support for Israel's war in Gaza.

• With the olympics this summer, Paris is bound to be a zoo, but luckily there's always Montreal.
• I live in the European-feeling Canadian town, and I love the French culture around every corner.
• If you're looking for charm, history, and food, Montreal is the perfect summer destination.

Paris may be on your travel bucket list, but it's bound to be packed with tourists as the 2024 Summer Olympics unfold in the City of Lights in July.

Fortunately, there's another option if you don't want to spend your whole trip waiting in long lines and paying surge prices on the metro.

Montreal — the second-largest city in Canada — features much of the European charm you'll find in Paris from its long history of French influence.

The city comes alive in the summertime after suffering through freezing-cold winters. Its residents, suddenly full of "joie de vivre," take full advantage of the plentiful parks, pedestrian-only streets, festivals, and patios.

It's also the city I'm lucky to call home, so here are eight reasons you should travel to Montreal instead of Paris this summer.

If you’re looking for a historic, European feel, you’ll find it in Old Montreal.

Lined with cobblestone streets and historic brick architecture, the Old Montreal section of the city feels like you're walking through 18th-century Paris.

Quebec, the province Montreal is located in, is a unique corner of Canada where the majority of locals speak French or some version of what we call Franglais (a combination of French and English). Because of this, most of the street signs and banners in Old Montreal are in French.

It's certainly one of the most touristy parts of the city — but for good reason. The area is home to some of the best restaurants, art galleries, shops, cafés, and bars.

The historic district also runs along the St. Laurence River.

Strolling along the beautiful boardwalk on the St. Laurence River, you'll find a marina filled with boats, a selection of food trucks, the longest urban zipline in Canada, and a Ferris wheel.

There's also the Montreal Science Centre, a science museum sure to delight all ages.

Forget Notre-Dame in Paris — Montreal has its own.

Just like Paris, we have plenty of historic cathedrals to admire, including a particularly spectacular one named Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal.

Although undoubtedly more famous, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is still under construction after a fire in 2019, so if you went to Europe, you wouldn't be able to go inside it anyway.

If museums are what you’re after, Montreal also has plenty of those.

Whether you're interested in art, history, archeology, or science, Montreal has a host of acclaimed museums that can satisfy your thirst for knowledge.

Some of its best include the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Biodome, and the Pointe-à-Callière Museum.

The latter is a history museum in Old Montreal that features many exhibitions about the people who founded the city in 1642.

Montreal can easily satisfy your craving for a croissant or a baguette.

One of the best parts of visiting Paris is eating wonderful French pastries and treats, like croissants and fresh baguettes.

Luckily, my city is filled to the brim with adorable, independent cafés that claim to sell the best baked goods in the city.

If you visit, you'll find that choosing the best isn't an easy task because many of them really are that good.

You’ll find plenty of foodies dining al fresco.

As soon as the weather is remotely tolerable, Montrealers emerge outdoors, eager to soak up the sun.

Like Paris' famous outdoor cafés, our patios (called terrasses) appear on the streets and sidewalks almost overnight.

Residents eagerly fill them, drinking wine or beer and eating foods inspired by cuisines all over the world.

Like Paris, Montreal is also one of the world’s fashion capitals.

The city is known for its particularly well-dressed dwellers, with many residents sporting unique looks that are artistic, vintage, and high-fashion.

That's partly thanks to the many boutiques scattered throughout Montreal. Whether you're looking for something secondhand or locally made, you're sure to find it.

There's no shortage of greenspaces and public seating options.

As many North American cities adopt "hostile architecture" that discourages gathering in public spaces, Montreal has parks filled with benches for sitting and reading. There are also plenty of grassy, shaded areas for Parisian-style picnics.

And we can't forget Mount Royal — the mountain for which the city is named. Located just west of downtown, the massive mountain is home to a large park, historic monuments, a lake, a lookout with a stunning view of the city skyline, and walking trails.

On Sundays, locals and visitors gather on the eastern slope for Tam-Tams, a weekly summer festival where people play hand drums.

• My family of four lives in Queens, NY, where day camps are expensive. 
• I'm an educator, so get most of the summer off and plan activities for my kids. 
• We are moving with family to Illinois so my kids can attend summer camp there. 

I've always wanted my kids to experience the joy of summer camp — hiking, singing, and weaving colorful friendship bracelets. But even day camp is exorbitant in New York, where I live. Thankfully, I'm an educator who doesn't work full-time during the summer, so we usually pursue an economical option, the DIY "Mama Camp."

My daughters — now 11 and 5 — make our own schedules and go to museums, libraries, and parks, sprinkler-hopping across the neighborhood. "Let's make our own camp T-shirts, just for the three of us!" my daughter once suggested after observing that kids in "real" summer camp all wear matching shirts.

My kids never complained about Mama Camp — but I still wanted them to see what camp was like with other kids. Last summer, I took on some extra freelance work and registered my kids for part-time and drop-in camps near our home in Queens. The camps were mostly indoors, with excursions to playgrounds — and the same sprinklers they'd splashed in with me — and an occasional field trip that cost $25 extra per day. In total, my kids attended 11 days of camp over the 70 days of the summer. They didn't enjoy it much, and the bill came out to over $2,000.

I'm moving my family to Illinois for the summer

"So what should I do this year?" I asked my sister, who lives in a small town in rural Illinois, 90 minutes from Chicago, with her husband and 7-year-old daughter. "You have all the great options."

I didn't want to take my chances on winning a place in a free public school camp through a lottery system, especially since it would mean taking a spot away from a working parent with a full-time schedule with more urgent childcare needs than mine.

"What's your kiddo doing this year?" I asked my sister.

My niece was sampling a wide variety of Parks Department camps — from filmmaking to STEAM to gymnastics to nature exploration, trying something new each week. In New York, such special-interest camps carry the price tag of a semester of college and require an hour of subway commuting for those of us who don't live in midtown Manhattan. But in Illinois, a five to minute drive could take you to a butterfly farm program, a graphic novel workshop, a cabaret camp — you name it.

For half-day programs in my sister's town, the rates are $100 a week, and non-residents pay $130. Anyone living outside town, whether 10 minutes away or halfway across the country, pays the slightly elevated fee. For a full-day program, the price increases to about $200 (residents) or $230 (nonresidents) a week.

I had to keep asking my sister to repeat the prices. "Are you sure it isn't $130 per day?"

"Per week."

There's nothing in New York available for that amount of money. I have paid $60 per hour for my kids to make slime or throw quarters into arcade machines, just to escape our tiny apartment on a rainy afternoon. $130 does not get you anywhere in New York.

"Maybe we should move in with you so we could afford camp!" I joked.

My sister was serious. "Why not? We have space for you to move in!"

Even with the cost of airfare, we are saving money

Two weeks should be enough of an experiment with "real" camp. For two weeks, I'll have some structure to my kids' days so I can catch up on rest (after a long school year), work 10 hours per week as an online graduate school instructor, and read and write for pleasure. If had the financial need to work full-time remotely all summer, moving in with my sister for two full months might be a smart option. I'm surprised I don't hear about more families combining households to juggle childcare, a trend I heard about during the pandemic.

My sister kindly walked me through the process of applying to her camp for two weeks as a non-resident. Her expertise was valuable since the camp brochure was over 30 pages long, and I depended on her insider knowledge of the area and the pros and cons of each program.

Even with the cost of airfare, we will save money. I would have wanted to visit my sister anyway, but now I'm combining the family trip with camp. This may be the last chance for my older daughter to try camp; she's almost 12. She's excited about honing her artistic skills in a comic book class. My younger daughter is doing camp at the butterfly farm, which is perfect since she's our social butterfly. This year, "Mama Camp" will allow some time for Mama to play too.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for season two, episode one of "House of the Dragon."

One of the "House of the Dragon" season two premiere's most emotionally cutting moments could have been even more heart-wrenching, according to director Alan Taylor.

Season two picks up shortly after the season one finale of the show, in which Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) sends her sons Jacaerys (Harry Collett) and Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) to secure the support of houses Stark, Arryn, and Baratheon. Lucerys, however, runs into his uncle Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) at Storm's End, House Baratheon's seat. During a scuffle in the skies between Vhagar, Aemond's dragon, and Arrax, Lucerys' dragon, Vhagar takes a bite of Arrax and Lucerys and sends their remains tumbling to the sea below.

In the season two premiere, Rhaenyra sets off to find concrete proof of her son's death. She and her dragon Syrax find Arrax's remains on a beach, and she weeps.

Taylor told Business Insider on the red carpet at the season two premiere in New York City that despite the high emotions on screen, he actually had to pull back a bit.

"There are things on the cutting room floor that I wish were still in there," Taylor said. "Her immediate reaction to realizing what's happened to her son was so visceral, and I think if anything, it got tamed down a bit."

Taylor is a "Game of Thrones" veteran, and directed episodes across multiple seasons of the show. But this is the first time he's directed an episode of "House of the Dragon" — and, in turn, his first time working with D'Arcy and the rest of the cast. The experience was striking.

"I knew they were good at what they did before I joined the show, and then the first time I went into a close-up on them, it just blew my mind," Taylor told BI. "I realized if you're ever in trouble, just come in close."

"House of the Dragon" season two airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and is streaming on Max.

• I tracked all the ads I saw in a day and counted over 130.
• Some ad settings can be adjusted, but control over frequency remains limited across many platforms.
• I didn't mind most ads because they either catered to my interests or were easy to tune out.

Ads have become so embedded in everyday activities and media consumption that you may not even notice how often you run into them.

When my editor asked me to track all the ads I saw in a day, I wasn't sure how it would go. Prior to this experiment, I hadn't paid close attention to how often an ad or sponsored content floated before my eyes.

While the words "sponsored" may show up on a video or image you scroll past on social media, the font is often small and if the content is successfully targeting you, you may not even notice.

I missed a few ads during this process, especially on sites where I was focused on getting the answer I was searching for. But based on what I did catch, I spotted over 130 ads in a single day.

Let's dive in.

Your settings can (sometimes) make a difference

The type of ads you receive may be adjustable in your settings. But for most platforms, you won't be able to control how many you see.

To personalize Google ads, for example, you can go to "My Ad Center" and opt to turn personalized ads on or off in the top-right corner. If you turn them on, Google will use the information it collects about you to give you more personalized ads. That means your activity on Google sites and apps will be saved in your Google Account and information from your account, like your age, will also be used.

I decided to keep personalized ads off for Google because that's how I usually have it. This resulted in me sometimes missing ads on my screen. I'm so used to seeing random photos and brand names in the corners and sides of my screen that my eyes glazed over some of them. It drew a sharp contrast to my experience with social media ads, which are fully personalized to my activity on and off-site and often pull my attention.

When it comes to social media, you don't have as much of a choice — although some do let you pay to remove or decrease ads. Facebook now offers a paid version in the EU for people who prefer an ad-free experience, YouTube lets you pay for Premium to remove them, and Elon Musk's X says paying for X Premium+ means no ads in your For You or Following feeds.

But TikTok, for example, says on its website that "you will always see ads based on what you do on TikTok." But you can provide feedback on an ad if you're not interested in it. Other social media sites have similar ad policies.

With TikTok, Instagram, and most apps that you download on your phone, you can turn off ad-tracking across companies and websites in your privacy settings.

My social media feeds were filled with ads

I spent about two and a half hours on Instagram on the day of this experiment — and I saw about 75 ads.

I probably never went through more than four posts at a time without being interrupted by an ad. But most of the ads were similar to content I regularly engage with in my explore feed or online.

I find ads with multiple products and links particularly effective because it's easy to engage with them and find out pricing or other details. I also loved seeing sponsored food content because it gave me ideas of where to go out to eat.

None of the ads resulted in me purchasing any items, but if I continue to see interesting ads in my price range for weeks at a time, it may eventually influence my buying patterns.

For TikTok, the ads were even less noticeable because the app is so casual. For example, I would start watching a woman wipe down her counters and then see Mr. Clean at the end of the video before noticing the "sponsored" label at the bottom. I also found some of the TikTok ads interesting or helpful.

I didn't engage at all with internet ads

I tracked about 40 ads online, but since they weren't personalized to my interests I sometimes didn't notice them. I saw a range of ads from USPS to T-Mobile, to random shows on streaming services that I had no interest in.

Sometimes, they were images, and other times, they were full videos. I also saw a couple of ads on YouTube videos but usually skipped after a few seconds, so I didn't fully engage with those either.

Miscellaneous ads

I use the language-learning app Duolingo every day and those are the only ads I truly dread. The ads are animated with sound and I sometimes put my phone down and walk away because of how painful it feels to watch.

I also saw about 10 ads in real life on the subway on my way to and from work. By the end of the day, I noticed these less, but in general, they tend to stick out more than non-targeted ads on the internet.

I also receive several push notifications and ads over text every day. I counted about seven on the day of this experiment, including a push notification from Urban Outfitters about a flash sale, a text from CorePower Yoga for discounted class packs, and a push notification from Amazon about trending sunscreen.

Most of the ads don't bother me

My biggest takeaway from this experiment was that I really didn't mind the ads. In fact, sometimes I liked them.

I love online shopping and browsing — and I like that apps like Instagram curate content to my interests. I've discovered new brands on Instagram that I ended up ordering from because of ads. Even if it doesn't lead to a purchase, I enjoy seeing items that fall in my line of interest and inspire me to look at similar products.

The push notifications and the texts were probably the most annoying of all the ads I received, and I find myself deleting them on a daily basis.

I also don't follow too many influencers, but I immediately scrolled past content if I saw it labeled with "creator earns commission" or if it included a discount code in the caption because I'm not interested in paid content from someone I follow for enjoyment.

As far as Duolingo's ads go, yes, I find them annoying — but I also wouldn't pay $12.99 per month to get rid of them.

It's clear that we're seeing more and more ads on our phones and TV screens — Netflix and Amazon recently introduced ads to their streaming services, although both offer ad-free options for an extra cost.

Luckily, I'm on my roommate's plan for Netflix, and my family has an Amazon and Spotify subscription, so I don't have to deal with these. I sometimes watch Hulu shows and the ads are annoying, but I usually walk away if an ad comes on.

For me, watching or listening to an ad is the most frustrating, and I would definitely be bothered if I was constantly interrupted by them. When I was growing up, I found radio commercials unbearable, and I might have paid for an ad-free option if I still had to go through those several-minute interruptions.

But the honest answer is I'm used to ads by now, and even find some genuinely interesting. We're living in an advertising world — and if I have to deal with sponsored content for clothing brands I like while scrolling on social media — then so be it.

• More recent college graduates are struggling to find jobs, and it could set them back for years. 
• The unemployment of recent graduates has been higher than the overall unemployment rate since 2021.
• Some graduates could eventually question whether their college degrees were worth it. 

When Lohanny Santos couldn't find a job, she started handing out resumes in person.

"This is not what I expected," the Gen Zer, who has a degree in communication and media studies, said in a January TikTok video.

Santos isn't alone. New college graduates are having a harder time finding work, and as a result, some of them could see their careers and earnings take a hit for years.

Every month since January 2021, the unemployment rate of "recent college graduates" between the ages of 22 and 27 has been higher than the overall US unemployment rate, according to New York Fed data. Meaning that recent college graduates have been more likely to be unemployed than the broader population.

This isn't normal. Between 1990 and 2013, the recent grad jobless rate was never higher than the overall unemployment rate.

Last November, the recent graduate unemployment rate was 5% compared to the 3.7% overall rate — the most the recent grad rate has exceeded the overall rate in the over three decades of NY Fed data. Excluding 2020 and 2021 — when the pandemic took a toll on the job market — the 5% jobless rate for recent graduates was the highest since March 2015. As of the most recent March data, the jobless rate for recent grads was 4.7%, compared to the 3.7% rate for all workers.

Internships aren't leading to job offers, start dates are being pushed back as much as a year, and applicants are competing for a limited number of jobs. Hiring cutbacks in popular industries like tech, finance, and consulting are working against new graduates. For instance, Meta — among the top employers for Rice University's graduates in 2022 — didn't hire any graduates last year, Bloomberg reported.

However, the hiring slowdown is bigger than these three industries. As of March, hiring on LinkedIn was down compared to the prior year in each of the 20 industries measured, including education, construction, and healthcare. A National Association of Colleges and Employers survey of 226 employers across several industries conducted this past spring found that employers collectively planned to hire nearly 6% fewer new college graduates than they did the previous year.

This bumpy start to new grads' careers could have a lasting impact on their earnings.

For one, some of them could end up taking jobs in lower-paying fields outside their area of study. Per the NY Fed, about 41% of recent graduates were "underemployed" as of March — meaning they had jobs that typically don't require a college degree. What's more, a report published in February by the data research firms Burning Glass Institute and the Strada Education Foundation found that nearly three-quarters of people who don't land college-level jobs in their first year after graduating end up stuck in a job they're overqualified for 10 years later.

Additionally, researchers have found that young people who graduate into challenging job markets can see their earnings negatively impacted for at least a decade — the struggles of millennials who started their careers during the Great Recession have been well documented. While Gen Zers aren't graduating during a recession, some of them could face similar hurdles to the generation before them.

The slowing job market is hitting recent graduates the hardest

While layoffs remain low, and the US continues to add hundreds of thousands of jobs each month, the labor market isn't quite as hot as it was a few years ago. Job openings have fallen from the record levels reached in 2022, businesses are hiring less, and as a result, workers aren't switching jobs at the same rate they did during the Great Resignation.

"It's the new normal where employers are slower to fire, slower to hire, and workers are slower to switch jobs," Julia Pollak, the chief economist for ZipRecruiter, previously told Business Insider.

This new normal has worked out OK for some Americans, but it's been particularly tough on new college graduates.

In an economy where hiring and job-switching are slowing, a lot of workers are effectively stuck in place. The young workers who might have switched jobs — and effectively created a new entry-level job opening for someone else — have had a harder time doing so. At the same time, the young workers who might have gotten a promotion — and then been replaced by a new entry-level hire — aren't getting those promotions at the rate they did a year or two ago.

If you already have a job, you can keep collecting paychecks and cross your fingers that layoffs don't pick up. But if you don't, you're in a tougher spot.

The current labor market is leaving some recent grads with few paths into the workforce, and the jobs that are out there have become more competitive. It's even tougher if you want a remote role.

Americans seem to sense that it's not the best time to job hunt. A monthly New York Fed survey asks respondents to estimate the chance that, if they lost their job today, they'd be able to find a new job they would accept in the next three months. As of the recently released May data, the average probability was about 52%. While this was higher than the April and March figures, it was lower than any month between January 2015 and March 2020 — when the pandemic caused job-finding expectations to temporarily plummet.

However, in reality, it's not taking most unemployed Americans considerably longer to find work than it did a year or two ago. It's the newest members of the labor force — many of them recent college grads — who are having a harder time.

A Goldman Sachs report published in May found that "experienced" US workers who became unemployed over the past year have continued to find new jobs "at or above pre-pandemic rates." However, "new entrants" to the labor market who've entered unemployment have found jobs at considerably lower rates than they did two years ago and before the pandemic.

"The labor market remains strong overall, though with some soft spots, most notably the low hiring rate, whose impact falls most heavily on new entrants to the workforce," Goldman Sachs economist Elise Peng wrote in the report.

Job search struggles could lead some graduates to question the value of their degree

To be sure, many of the new college graduates who are struggling to find work will likely eventually find employment. When including college graduates of all ages, this group has a lower unemployment rate than the average worker, and the average college graduate still earns considerably more than workers without a degree.

While the tough job market could temporarily hurt some young graduates' earnings, there's reason to be optimistic that their finances could eventually recover. That's because some of the millennials who were impacted by the Great Recession early in their careers are now faring much better financially.

A Federal Reserve paper published in January found that, as of 2022, the inflation-adjusted household income of US millennials between the ages of 36 and 40 was 18% higher than that of the previous generation at the same age. Between the end of 2019 and 2023, millennials' wealth doubled, due in part to rising home values and stock prices.

In the years ahead, the more important question might not be whether college graduates can find jobs — but whether their college degrees are worth it. High college tuition costs have forced many students to take on student debt that can follow them for decades and stall their savings efforts. Additionally, more companies have become open to hiring candidates who don't have a college degree.

St. Louis Fed research published in 2019 found that the boost a college degree provides to one's income and wealth has declined over the past several decades.

Most new graduates may be quite a ways away from saying they regret going to college. But if the job market continues to prove frustrating, some of them may begin to wonder.

Are you a recent college graduate who's struggling to find a job? Are you willing to share your story? If so, contact this reporter at jzinkula@businessinsider.com.

• Low fertility rates are challenging military recruitment in countries like South Korea, Japan, and China.
• According to East Asia experts, it's a "big worry" because the demographic situation won't improve.
• In addition to widening their recruitment pools, countries are looking to AI as a solution.

East Asia has some of the world's lowest fertility rates, forcing countries in the region to think hard about how to maintain their military strength.

This is particularly concerning given the rise in tensions between North and South Korea, and between China and the US.

China, Japan, and South Korea have fertility rates below the global replacement rate — resulting in declining populations.

South Korea's fertility rate was 0.72 in 2023, the lowest in the world, compared to the global average of 2.2, according to The Lancet.

On its current trajectory, South Korea's population of 51 million is on track to halve by 2100.

South Korea has military conscription of at least 18 months, but Ramon Pacheco Pardo, KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, told Business Insider that the draft "helps, but is not the solution."

The demographic issue is causing significant concern in military circles, he said, particularly given the constant threat from North Korea.

"I think it's a big worry, and I think it will continue to be a big worry because the demographic situation is not going to change dramatically anytime soon," he said.

Pardo said that the South Korean military is trying various strategies to boost enlistment.

These include increasing pay to make it a more viable career option, as well as increasing the number of female volunteer recruits, which is culturally unprecedented.

"There is no military service for women," he said, adding: "Some people say Korea should go down the path of Israel, I don't see this happening anytime soon."

Another strategy, according to Pardo, is utilizing technology.

South Korea is "learning quite a bit from the way Ukraine defends itself against Russia, which includes automation technologies that, in the past, they may have been skeptical about," he said.

The decline in military personnel might also be strengthening the argument for having nuclear weapons, he suggested, as a deterrent against North Korea and possibly even China.

"We need to go nuclear, among other things, because we don't have enough people to, simply put, defend the country," he said of the possible line of thinking.

Japan also has a rapidly declining fertility rate, which sank to a new low of 1.2 in 2023.

Without mandatory military conscription, Japan needs to incentivize people to join its Self-Defense Forces.

Chris Hughes, a University of Warwick professor specializing in Japanese defense policy, said that Japan's aging population is already limiting its recruitment pool.

In 2022, less than 4,000 people joined its Self-Defense Forces, missing the target by more than half, according to the Japan Times.

Hughes said that, like South Korea, Japan has been left thinking about how automation and AI can mitigate the worst effects of a shortage of an army-age population.

"They are automating quite a lot of weapon systems, like destroyers," he said. "They've been able to design more automation in them to reduce the number of crew they need."

Hughes added that AI could be used to reduce the number of people needed to run a weapon system, a command and control system, or to gather information.

"Japan is never going to have a massive population," he said. "It can't compete with China. So, therefore, it's got to compete in terms of having a very sophisticated, technically able military."

Despite these technological advancements, Japan is also making concessions to widen its recruitment pool, Hughes said.

Japan's military has relaxed long-held rules by allowing officers to have longer hair, lifted a ban on recruits having tattoos, and raised the maximum age for new recruits to 32.

China's People's Liberation Army, short on recruits, has also raised its enlistment age from 24 to 26, according to Nikkei Asia.

The news agency said that recruitment efforts in China are now being bolstered through big-budget war movies.

Despite these challenges, China's large population still allows it to maintain the world's largest standing army, with over two million active personnel.

In the meantime, many countries are continuing to try to slow the tides of demographic decline, which is impacting far more than just their military strength.

• Kate Middleton attended the King's Parade, marking her first engagement since her cancer diagnosis.
• In a statement shared to Instagram, Kate said she hopes to attend more events over the summer.
• Her return follows a challenging period for the monarchy following King Charles' cancer diagnosis.

Kate Middleton attended King Charles' birthday parade this weekend — her first royal engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March.

In a statement shared to Instagram on Friday, Kate said her cancer treatment was ongoing and likely to last "for a few more months," though she hoped to join more engagements over the summer.

"I'm looking forward to attending The King's Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet," Kate said.

The princess' tentative return to royal duties comes after a difficult period for the royal family, from the "Katespiracy" theories to the "slimmed down" monarchy seemingly threatening the family's future.

Kate's return signals a 'show of unity'

Kate's return was every bit as glamorous as you might expect.

The royal, wearing a white and black Jenny Packham dress and matching fascinator, traveled in a carriage before greeting the crowds from the palace balcony with Prince William, King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the children.

Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, told Business Insider that Kate's appearance was "a timely and extremely beneficial show of unity for the monarchy after a very difficult few months."

Photos from the event show Kate standing next to her father-in-law, King Charles, who spoke about his experience with cancer earlier this year. Fitzwilliams said the pair's decision to stand together was likely intentional as a "courageous and mutually supportive gesture."

"The images will go worldwide, and will be extremely positive and be beneficial for the institution," he said. "The late Queen used to say 'I must be seen to be believed,' and it was most important that we saw Catherine on this occasion."

Kate's return comes after a period of uncertainty over the monarchy's future. Royal commentators previously told BI that cracks in the king's "slimmed down" monarchy were on show following Charles and Kate's absences.

Royal biographer Phil Dampier said the monarchy "could, with the wrong unforeseen circumstances, collapse quite quickly," if something were to happen to both the king and Prince William, who is first in line to the throne.

The royal family carried out a collective 4,000 engagements in 2014, including Prince Harry's trip to Brazil and the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's engagements in France and Italy. According to one estimate by The Guardian, this year, the family is expected to carry out "little more than half" of the engagements it did a decade ago.

A source of reassurance

Earlier this year, the family also had to deal with swirling conspiracy theories about Kate's whereabouts during her absence from public duties. The speculation came to a head after Kate apologized for editing a Mother's Day photo that had been recalled by major photo agencies over concerns it had been manipulated.

Jack Royston, a royal commentator and podcast host, told BI that any lurking conspiracy theories would have been "blown out of the water" by Kate's return.

"And for the public, the message will be that they can stop worrying about Kate," Royston said. "She's made it clear she isn't completely out of the woods or back at work full time, but we may well see her again over the summer."

Meanwhile, Robert Hardman, author of "Charles III: The Inside Story," told BI that seeing Kate in public will be a source of reassurance amid uncertain times.

"Her presence has shown how big her absence is. When she wasn't around, everyone was worried," Hardman said. "The royal family has a strange position in our society, where everyone, to an extent, feels like it's an extension of our own families."

"It will have cheered people up to see Catherine with her children playing an enthusiastic, central part of one of the year's biggest events," he said.

"It's a sign of her dedication to the institution."

Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to requests for comment.