Princess Kate and Prince William met with Melinda French Gates

Kate Middleton at the Order of the Garter service at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 16, 2025.Credit : Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

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Kate Middleton headed back to work on June 25 after her absence at Royal Ascot last week made headlines
Princess Kate and Prince William met with Melinda French Gates at Windsor Castle
The Prince and Princess of Wales represented their Royal Foundation at the meeting

Kate Middleton returned to work behind closed doors after her absence at Royal Ascot last week made waves.

On June 25, Princess Kate and Prince William received Melinda French Gates at Windsor Castle, according to The Court Circular, the British royal family’s official record of previous engagements.

The couple represented The Royal Foundation at the meeting. The Royal Foundation is the umbrella for Prince William and Princess Kate’s charitable endeavors and vehicle for their philanthropy in the fields of early years, mental health and more.

Melinda, 60, is an American billionaire philanthropist, the founder of Pivotal Ventures and co-founder of the Gates Foundation. Pivotal Ventures is a group of organizations working to accelerate the pace of social progress, especially for women, in the U.S. and around the world, while the Gates Foundation (which Melinda co-founded with her ex-husband, Bill Gates, and left in 2024) fights poverty, disease, and inequity globally.

Melinda French Gates attends Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women” dinner series in New York City on May 14, 2024.Lisa Lake/Getty

Pivotal Ventures recently teamed up with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s charity the Archewell Foundation in October 2024, supporting a partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation to offer digital wellness programming for young women in underserved communities across the U.S.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ meeting with Melinda didn’t take them far from their home at Adelaide Cottage. William and Kate, both 43, live on the grounds of Windsor with their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.

The update comes after Princess Kate’s absence from Royal Ascot on June 18 caused a stir when she seemed to pull out of the appearance at the last minute, which was later said to be a miscommunication.

June 18 was the second day of Royal Ascot, a social staple on the royal family’s summer calendar, and royal watchers expected to see Princess Kate that day after her name was included in the day’s carriage procession with Prince William. However, her name was dropped from the cavalcade about 20 minutes after the list was published, sparking speculation.

PEOPLE understands that an inaccurate carriage listing was mistakenly released by Royal Ascot, and Prince William went on to appear at the event with King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Prince William and Kate Middleton attend the Order of the Garter service on June 16, 2025.Max Mumby – Pool via Samir Hussein/WireImage

Princess Kate was said to be disappointed not to be able to attend Ascot, but she is focused on striking the right balance as she gradually returns to public work after undergoing treatment for cancer last year.

“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.

Prince Louis, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton at Trooping the Colour on June 14, 2025.Karwai Tang/WireImage

Princess Kate’s most recent public appearance was the Garter Day Service at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 16, which came two days after the Trooping the Colour, which she attended with William and their children, on June 14.