\n<\/p>\n
He created the position just for her. Buckingham Palace announced in April that King Charles III<\/strong> \u201chas been graciously pleased to appoint Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales\u201d to be a \u201cRoyal Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour.\u201d The new title gifted to Princess Kate<\/strong><\/a> is historic, as it makes Prince William<\/strong>\u2019s wife the first member of Britain\u2019s royal family to ever be appointed to the order, which was founded 107 years ago to recognize service to the arts, sciences, medicine and public service and is restricted to just 65 members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kate is grateful to be honored by the monarch \u2014 but it\u2019s also sparked some more complicated feelings. In the wake of her cancer diagnosis<\/a> earlier this year following a mysterious January abdominal surgery, Kate \u2014 who hasn\u2019t been seen in public since revealing her health crisis to the world in a video on March 22 \u2014 pulled back from royal duties as she continued to heal from her operation and quietly began chemotherapy. And, <\/span>Life & Style<\/span><\/i> has learned, it will be some time before she\u2019ll step out as the order\u2019s new Royal Companion, or in any other public-facing role, with her return to work further delayed as she focuses on getting well.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhile no one is push\u00ading Kate to do anything but recover, she\u2019s still feel\u00ading a lot of pressure to get back to her duties and to be even more perfect than before,\u201d explains a source, who notes that the moth\u00ader of Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, was origi\u00adnally expected to resume appearances after Easter before experiencing a set\u00ad back. \u201cShe\u2019s taking time to heal, but caring for her kids, being a good spouse to William<\/a>, and her respon\u00adsibility to her work are weighing heavily on Kate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A longtime follower of the late Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s policy of \u201cnever complain, never explain,\u201d Kate has suffered in silence in re\u00adcent months. But when Kensington Palace re\u00adleased a clearly doctored photo of the princess and her children to mark U.K. Mother\u2019s Day in March, speculation about her health and questions about the need to alter a picture to present some ide\u00adal image exploded. The situation prompted the once inscru\u00adtable princess, 42, to apologize for causing confusion with her photo editing and, days later, to finally reveal her cancer news. She received an outpouring of sympathy and support. However, Kate has continued to feel a need \u201cto get back into the swing of things,\u201d says the source. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t want the world to see her like this, and she doesn\u2019t want to delay getting back to work as a royal even more, either.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Yet she must. \u201cThe princess is still undergoing treatment,\u201d shares the source, \u201cwhich is exhausting.\u201d With any energy she does have, \u201cKate\u2019s first instinct as a mother is to give George, Charlotte and Louis all her attention,\u201d adds the source, \u201cbut she\u2019s struggling with trying to do it all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s been tough to watch the king return to more public royal duties in April following his own unspecified cancer diagnosis in February. \u201cKate has guilt that Charles, who\u2019s also battling cancer, is out there doing his part,\u201d says the source. The 75-year-old just wants Kate to recover, though. Following her cancer reveal, Charles issued a statement praising his \u201cbeloved daughter-in-law,\u201d sharing he felt \u201cso proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The slimmed-down monarchy has also added to the strain. With Prince Andrew<\/strong>, 64, Prince Harry<\/strong>, 39, and Meghan Markle<\/strong>, 42, no longer in the official fold, other relatives have had to take on more, with speculation that non-working royals will soon be tapped to help out. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t help that William has been away from home more, so Kate\u2019s main support and shoulder to lean on isn\u2019t always around,\u201d says the source, admitting that though Kate\u2019s mother, Carole Middleton<\/strong>, 69, has been helping care for the kids, \u201cWilliam\u2019s absence makes things more difficult.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Kate\u2019s been honest with William, 41. \u201cShe told him about the pressure she\u2019s feeling,\u201d says the source. \u201cHe was sympathetic and supportive, insisting she stop worrying and take as much time as is needed.\u201d Instead of feeling wholly reassured, however, his response made her question everything, says the source, including her value to the royal family and who she is without her titles. Notes the source: \u201cShe\u2019s spiraled at times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ultimately, though, Kate knows that her health needs to be her top priority. So she\u2019s been trying to make peace with the situation and treat this recovery period as one of her duties, adds the source: \u201cHer decision to stay in hiding might be shocking to some. But Kate wants to make sure she\u2019s here for her family \u2014 and the crown \u2014 for a long time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n