Kate Middleton’s decision to skip her anticipated appearance at Royal Ascot on 18 reflects her renewed focus on wellbeing following cancer treatment, and her announcement in January that she is in remission.

Just moments before she was expected to make her first appearance at the event in two years, it was announced that the Princess of Wales, 43, would not attend after all. The last-minute change on June 18 marks her first major cancellation since returning to public life, and underscores a broader theme: this season is about healing, not pressure.

“She’s being sensible, listening to what her body is telling her and easing back into public life,” Queen Elizabeth’s former spokeswoman Ailsa Anderson tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story.

On the heels of an intensely difficult year — including a devastating diagnosis for an undisclosed form of cancer and relentless speculation even before she could explain the situation to her children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — Kate is focused on recovery, privacy and the road ahead.

The palace has emphasized that Kate will return to royal duties at her own pace. Her withdrawal from Ascot on June 18, despite being listed in the official carriage procession, is the latest example of this case-by-case approach.

“She has not been able to have the privacy that a person who faces this kind of illness is normally afforded,” says a source close to the royal household.

The Princess of Wales is said to be disappointed to miss Ascot, but she’s focused on striking the right balance as she gradually returns to public life.

Royal Ascot is technically a social event, not ceremonial commitment, on the royal family’s calendar, and their attendance is an informal tradition. Princess Kate was expected at the second day of the races on June 18, where Prince William will present the trophy to the winner of the Prince of Wales’ Stakes.

The Prince of Wales, 42, went on to attend the event solo and traveled in the first carriage of the Royal Procession with King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia. Royal watchers spotted that the seating assignments for the procession were reshuffled around the same time it was confirmed that Kate was no longer going.