When then Prince Charles wed Camilla ‘Make It A Double’ Parker Bowles in 2005, so much history was made royal archivists needed a lie-down and to implement a new card catalogue. Amongst many other firsts, both the bride and groom were single parents.

(On the other hand, the royal family has been finding themselves new brides since Henry VIII kept having his eye turned by whatever latest bit of muslin was up from the country and waving a protestant pamphlet about the place.)

Unfortunately, Prince William could be about to join that number. Temporarily, at least.

With this coming week’s first Buckingham Palace garden party, the peak royal season is upon us. Usually at this point in the year we should be buckling in and preparing for the steady stream of high profile shiny events that we, the gawking public, suck up, all the lovely pretty photos, somehow all that gloss distracting us from the inherent staggering inequity of such inherited privilege. (Hello! covers just might be the opiate of the masses.)

Royal Ascot, Garter Day at Windsor Castle and Trooping the Colour, amongst a slew of other set-in-stone events are annually so unmovable and unmissable they may as well be chiselled into granite.

This year things have gone a bit awry and even before the first palace fruit scene has been served.

Kate, the Princess of Wales has been scratched from the starting line-up.

Every year since marrying Prince William in 2011 thus guaranteeing she would never have to hand wash her own delicates ever again, Kate has been a permanent presence at Trooping the Colour, the sovereign’s official birthday celebration.

Dozens of horses, hundreds of military personnel, some very fast, very impressive fighter jets in formation: with all of this, Kate has turned up again and again smiling and doing her bit to prop up the pastel industry, even when she was pregnant and suffering from extreme morning sickness. What a literal trooper.

Every damn year the princess has been a part of the grand event, eternally steadfast in her willingness to hat up for the sake of Her late Majesty and last year, the King.

Until this year that is.

In late March, the 42-year-old princess revealed she has cancer, the world already reeling from the King’s cancer diagnosis and from the roiling, spewing social media pandemonium that had surrounded the supposedly ‘missing’ princess.

Since that video, hide nor hair nor snatched pictures of the Princess of Wales have appeared, no small feat for a woman who is indisputably one of the most famous human beings on the planet.

Which is great news for anyone who cares about Kate’s wellbeing and her treatment and terrible news if you happen to be a fully paid-up courtier required to keep the monarchy limping along during such trying times.

Buckingham Palace now faces their first Trooping sans Kate since 2010.

Earlier this week, the Times’ Kate Mansey reported that “Kate is expected to be away from public duties for some time”.

Imagine how things will look this June 15 when the remaining lineup takes to the palace balcony for the fly past – the King and Queen, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, stalwart Princess Anne and William. Are they all hard-workers doing tremendous things for generally little praise and a handful of retweets? Absolutely. (Sophie this week became the first member of the royal family to travel to Ukraine to champion survivors of war-related sexual violence.)

But we are not exactly talking about a photogenic bunch of natural-born charmers who ooze charisma. Visually, in terms of engendering public feeling, this year’s balcony image could end up being about as exciting as watching porridge cool.

There is a wildcard element here too – William could go the single dad route and take the kids.

Recent years have seen Prince George, soon to turn 11 years old, and Princess Charlotte, nine this week, appear at public events, sometimes along with tiny livewire and perpetual delight Prince Louis, five years old.

For the last two years, all three of them have gone to Trooping, travelling with their mother Kate via carriage from the palace to Horse Guards parade ground while William rides in the procession as Colonel-in-Chief of The Mercian Regiment and Colonel-in-Chief of Army Air Corps.

You see the issue. What will the kids do this year? Stay at home given Kate seems highly, highly unlikely to be there? Or include them but have them make the trip from the palace to Horse Guards with, say, Sophie and Edward?

And then, what about on the actual balcony? The visual of a solo parenting William with his three kids and no Kate will be the image that every newspaper and website the world over will choose to use the following day. (Well, maybe a few might use Charles riding his horse Noble in the procession, as he is reportedly very keen to do should his doctors permit.)

At this stage, the prospect of this year’s Trooping feels like a bit of a downer, all a bit flat and lacklustre. Maybe some sort of rabbit will be pulled out of a flowery, overpriced hat. Sigh. In the meantime, all I say is, fruit scone anyone?