The Duchess of Cambridge is preparing to return to the royal circuit as her maternity leave comes to an end this autumn. Kate, who carried out her last official engagement back in March, is expected to resume her duties in the next month or so and while the palace has not yet confirmed her schedule, it will no doubt be filled with events and appearances.
Prince William's wife has previously said she plans to prioritise her time for her three young children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and baby Prince Louis – but the hard-working royal will also continue to support her patronages and charities, not to mention attend big family events including Princess Eugenie's royal wedding on 12 October.
William and Kate's parenting rules:
She may have an engagement planned for World Mental Health Day on Wednesday 10 October. Last year, Kate, who champions the issue, attended a reception at Buckingham Palace with Prince William and Prince Harry; it was coincidentally the first time she had made a public appearance since confirming her third pregnancy. Also that year, Kate starred in a video for her patronage Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, where she encouraged children to talk about their "big" and "small" feelings.
MORE: All the glittering photos from the Strictly 2018 launch
© Photo: Getty ImagesKate will continue to support her patronages when she returns to work
When Kate went on maternity leave in the spring, the palace announced that she would be making the occasional appearance at family events or other big royal gatherings. The same can be expected for this autumn, when the royals traditionally reunite and step out for events including the Royal Festival of Remembrance and the laying of the wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day in November.
The Queen is also preparing to welcome King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands to Buckingham Palace for a state visit from 23 to 24 October, so Kate, alongside other senior royals, could make an appearance at the state banquet – wearing a glittering tiara, of course.
MORE: Lorraine Kelly is on another amazing holiday!
© Photo: Getty ImagesShe is also expected to attend royal gatherings including on Remembrance Day
As a patron of the Royal Foundation, joint with William, Harry and Harry's wife Meghan, the Duchess is also expected to attend meetings and events related to their foundation. One of their programmes she is particularly involved in is Heads Together, the mental heath initiative that Kate actually thought up of. William has previously said in a speech: "It was Catherine who first realised that all three of us were working on mental health in our individual areas of focus. She had seen that at the core of adult issues like addiction and family breakdown, unresolved childhood mental health issues were often part of the problem."
This time last year, the Duchess carried out engagements for her patronages including Place2Be, the Lawn Tennis Association and the Anna Freud National Centre, so it's safe to say that the same can be expected for this autumn.
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.
