The Princess of Wales’ presence at Remembrance events marks her gradual return to duties following her cancer diagnosis. It was nearly eight months ago that she shocked the world with the news of her diagnosis after undergoing major abdominal surgery in January.
Since then, she has completed a course of preventative chemotherapy, which she announced in a video. Recently, she has begun to slowly resume Royal duties, highlighted by her significant appearance at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.
The initial announcement of Kate’s cancer in March took many by surprise, particularly given the rampant speculation on social media about her health. According to renowned Royal biographer Robert Hardman, her statement revealing her health issue contained a small detail that “broke protocol”.
In an updated version of his book King Charles, New King, New Court, he details how Kate recorded a special video message to announce her diagnosis. He notes: “The Princess had been filmed by a cameraman from BBC Studios Events Productions, the same team which filmed the Coronation and the late Queen’s funeral. The words, however, were entirely the Princess’s own.
“Even the formal transcript issued by the Palace broke with protocol. It was attributed not to ‘HRH The Princess of Wales ‘, but to ‘Catherine, The Princess of Wales’, a tiny point to most people but a noteworthy one in an institution bound to a correct way of doing things.”, reports the Mirror.
Over the weekend, Princess Kate was seen engaging in back-to-back days of public duties for the first time this year. She attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening.
This high-profile outing follows Prince William’s heartfelt admission that 2024 has been “brutal” and “probably been the hardest year in my life”, a period marked by both Kate and King Charles battling cancer diagnoses.
On Sunday, the Princess stood attentively as King Charles and Prince William laid their poppy wreaths at the Cenotaph’s Portland stone base. She actively participated in the national anthem and sang a hymn with Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, while clutching her song sheet.
Adorning Kate’s coat were three red poppies, speculated to commemorate the sacrifice of her great-grandmother’s three brothers who died in the First World War. Her attire also included diamond and pearl drop earrings once owned by the late Queen, and she also wore her silver Queen’s Dragoon Guards brooch – in a nod to her role as the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief – beneath her poppies.
The princess made her first ever appearance at the service as the Duchess of Cambridge13 years ago, seven months after she married William, joining the royal family and becoming an HRH.