Kate to honour war dead with two public appearances over Remembrance weekend

Remembrance weekend will be the first time the Princess of Wales has carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements since the start of the year, as ITV News' Leyla Hayes reports

The Princess of Wales is to attend both the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall this weekend, Buckingham Palace has announced.

It marks the next significant step in Kate’s gradual return to public royal duties as she prepares to join the King and the Prince of Wales to honour the nation’s war dead.

Camilla and Kate during the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, in Whitehall, in 2019 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA

The announcement comes after William candidly spoke of how 2024 has been “brutal” and “probably been the hardest year in my life”, with both Kate and the King diagnosed with cancer.

Kate, who revealed eight months ago she had an undisclosed form of the disease, will attend the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening and then the national commemoration at the Cenotaph on Sunday.

It will be the first time she has carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements since the start of the year.

The King lays a wreath during the Remembrance Sunday service last year Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA

The Queen’s attendance over the weekend will, however, be subject to medical advice nearer the time.

Camilla, 77, is unwell with a chest infection and was forced to pull out of engagements earlier this week.

In a video, Kate released in September, she revealed she had finished her chemotherapy treatment, and spoke of how she was “looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months”.

But she added her focus was “doing what I can to stay cancer free”.

Charles, who recently completed his first long haul overseas tour since his own cancer diagnosis, will lay a wreath of poppies at the base of the memorial, leading the nation in tribute to its fallen servicemen and women.

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