Kate joins family at Festival of Remembrance as she makes return to duties
William and Kate, both wearing poppies, were seen in conversation after taking their seats next to each other at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening
The Princess of Wales has taken a significant step in her gradual return to public royal duties by attending the Festival of Remembrance.
Joined by the Prince of Wales, her presence at the Royal British Legion event comes after William spoke 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.
The King received applause as he took his seat at Saturday’s event which honours sacrifices made by the British and Commonwealth armed forces community and includes musical performances and personal testimonies.
The crowd at the Royal Albert Hall stood and applauded as Charles entered to a royal fanfare by state trumpeters of the household division.
William and Kate, both wearing poppies, were seen in conversation after taking their seats next to each other at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening.
On Sunday Kate, who revealed eight months ago she had an undisclosed form of the disease, will attend the national commemoration at the Cenotaph.
It will be the first time she has carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements since the start of the year.
But the Queen was absent from the Festival and will also miss the Cenotaph ceremony as she recovers from a chest infection.
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”.
On Sunday Kate will watch, as is tradition, from above, on the nearby Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office balcony overlooking Whitehall, taking part in the solemn two-minute silence and viewing the veterans’ march past.
William said on Wednesday during his trip to Cape Town that his wife was “doing really well” and has been “amazing this whole year”.
The princess, 42, has made just a handful of public appearances so far in 2024, after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January and then was diagnosed with cancer.
Her last engagement was a month ago, when she made a surprise trip to meet families whose children were killed in the Southport attack and speak to emergency workers who helped at the scene after the devastating knife attack.
In her heartfelt video in September, Kate opened up about her cancer journey, as the Wales family were shown enjoying time together outdoors.
The princess said she was entering “this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life”.
“The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” she said.
She added: “Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long.”
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