Kate Middleton’s cancer battle puts Christmas tradition in jeopardy: expert

COMMENTARY: Kate Middleton’s "Carols At Christmas" has become a ratings smash and is now as much of a Christmas staple as turkey, holly and Father Christmas himself, but behind the scenes, there’s something of a crisis.

It was joyous news to receive that sparkling video from Catherine, Princess of Wales, detailing the end of her grueling cancer treatment that has had the world captivated through very dignified drip feeds from Kensington Palace.

We were told that Catherine would be returning, hopefully towards the end of this year, predominantly with the Remembrance Sunday service, a pivotal event in the Royal calendar, but what of "Carols at Christmas?"

KATE MIDDLETON RETURNS TO ROYAL DUTIES DAYS AFTER REVEALING SHE IS CANCER-FREE

Catherine created this conception, and it was sanctioned by our late Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, as an ideal way of introducing Catherine to the wider public and celebrating all things Christian in the United Kingdom.

Instantly becoming a mega smash ratings hit, royal fans were delighted, and the mixture of older new stars, like pop rocker Tom Walker, performing while Catherine accompanied him on the piano, created digital headlines around the world and a real intimacy of royal life not seen before.

Bosses at ITV, the struggling commercial channel suffering from a huge slump in advertising revenue, are crossing their fingers that Catherine will return with the annual special this year. The reason the advertising revenue spent is large on this particular show is that so many brands want to be associated with the Princess of Wales. 

It also sells well commercially around the world for the channel and, on top of all of that, showcases the channel at marketing events throughout the year. As one source explained, "Catherine is an integral part of the ITV brand, but it’s not something that’s made public for obvious reasons."

So will the Princess of Wales be able to turn it around in time? Normally, the planning for the show takes place directly after the show finishes, and ideas are bandied about throughout the year.

A-list Hollywood stars are offering to read religious passages inside the historic Westminster Abbey for free simply to get in front of royalty and the worldwide audience that "Carols at Christmas" brings.

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Prince William is keen for Catherine to pick up the helm of this successful yearly event, but as Catherine pointed out herself, she has good and bad days, and is certainly not out of the woods yet. The secondary plan, and this is what the channel are hoping for if all else fails, is that Catherine may introduce a best-of show, sprinkled with some pre-recorded performances and readings, so it wouldn’t be too taxing for her.

Kensington Palace, which handles the offices of the Prince and Princess of Wales, did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Whichever way you look at it, a lot is riding on the Princess of Wales pulling this together in the shortest space of time. Insiders tell me she’s very keen for this to continue as normal, but as they also pointed out, health and its restrictions are the ones really in control.

ITV have cleared the space and have no plans to replace it with anything else, yet check in weekly with any updates that they can assist with or simply take the pressure off, as they wait to see if Catherine's "Carols at Christmas" will finally bring some normality back to what’s been a traumatic year for the British Royal family and for their subjects the Commonwealth and the rest of the world.

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