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.
The Prince and Princess of Wales arriving to attend the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London (Chris J Ratcliffe/PA)
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.”
At the start of October, the princess was pictured hugging an aspiring teenage photographer with a rare and aggressive form of cancer after inviting her to take pictures at investitures at Windsor Castle.
Kate met Liz Hatton, 16, from Harrogate, and her family privately after the ceremony with William.
In June, Kate looked relaxed during her first day in the spotlight following her diagnosis when she appeared at the traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony.
She took part in the carriage procession and joined William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and other royals on the Palace balcony.
It came the day after a health update from Kate, who was pictured in the grounds of the Windsor Castle estate, standing in a tranquil setting against a weeping willow tree near a lake.
She issued a written message saying she was “making good progress” and had “good days and bad days”, but added: “I am not out of the woods yet.”
A few weeks later she made another rare appearance when she presented the Wimbledon men’s final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz.
The princess, patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, was accompanied by Charlotte and chatted to ball boys and girls, and entered Centre Court to loud applause.
She has also met aides to discuss staging her annual Christmas carol service in December, and held meetings on her early years work.
Also attending the Festival of Remembrance and the Cenotaph service were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent.