The Cambridge family has a lot to look forward to when they relocate to Windsor and take up residence in Adelaide Cottage.
Prince William, Duchess Kate, and their children Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte will be kept very busy thanks to the expansive grounds where they can walk their cherished pets and the nearby impressive tennis courts, but there’s one particular reason the Duchess of Cambridge must be thrilled about the move.
Due to the proximity of polo grounds to the family, it is anticipated that polo will play a significant role in their lives going forward. Although it is well known that Duchess Kate has a horse allergy, she has been using exposure therapy to treat it for a long time; this will be made much simpler by the proximity of polo grounds.
During a polo match, Duchess Kate spoke with Australian author Kathy Lette about her problem. The royal’s response to Kathy’s question about why she didn’t perform as herself was, “I’m allergic to horses.”
Duchess Kate was attempting to overcome her allergy through exposure, also known as immunotherapy, according to Clarisa Ru, wife of Santa Barbara Polo Club president Wesley Ru, who spoke to PEOPLE in 2011 after the couple had been married for two years.
I had a chance to speak with Kate,” she remarked. “Before she met William, I questioned her interest in polo. No, she replied. However, she has been horseback riding for some time and hopes to play polo in the future. I actually have an allergy to them, but the more time you spend around them, the less allergic you become, she said.”
She is correct. The NHS describes immunotherapy as “being given occasional small doses of the allergen” with the goal of “helping your body get used to the allergen so it does not react to it so severely.” Exposure to the allergens from horses works in a similar manner.
However, exposure and immunotherapy do not guarantee that Kate will fully recover from her allergy.
According to the NHS, “This won’t necessarily cure your allergy.” However, it will make it milder and allow you to use less medication.
Additionally, you must expose yourself repeatedly “over the course of several years,” which explains why, ten years after Kate first disclosed she was using exposure as a form of treatment, we have yet to see her on a horse.
We can only hope that she is improving.