See the photos of her first appearance.
After six months of waiting, intense speculation, and one heavily scrutinized photo, the Princess of Wales finally stepped out into the spotlight after taking a step back from her royal duties in December 2023. She was present at King Charles’ birthday parade, the first event since revealing in March of this year that she was diagnosed with cancer. Read on for more about this highly anticipated appearance.
Kate Middleton attends Trooping the Colour
Last week, Catherine made headlines for a letter she wrote to the Irish Guards in which she apologized for missing The Colonel’s Review, the final rehearsal for Trooping the Colour. “Being your Colonel remains a great honour, and I am very sorry that I’m unable to take the salute at this year’s Colonel’s Review,” she wrote in the letter, which was posted to X. She ended the letter by saying, “I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon.” At that time, there was no indication whether the princess would attend Trooping the Colour or not.
On Friday, the Palace announced that Catherine would attend the King’s birthday parade on June 15. The announcement came amidst updates to her health: She said she is “making good progress” with her treatment, but “as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days.” She added that her treatment is “ongoing and will be for a few more months.”
2024 Trooping the Colour photos
Before the parade, which took place at Horse Guards Parade Ground in London, kicked off, the Kensington Royals shared some behind-the-scenes footage to their social media. In the video, Catherine is seen wearing a black-and-white dress and matching hat, and her children are dressed in coordinating outfits.
As part of the procession, she rode through London in a horse-drawn carriage with Prince Louis, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte. Meanwhile, Prince William rode on horseback.
The princess looked cheerful as she watched the parade with Prince William and their children. The royals were photographed from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where they watched the Red Arrows flypast with King Charles III; Queen Camilla; Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh; Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh; and Lady Louise Windsor.
Vanity Fair noted that it was a smaller group on the balcony than usual: In previous years, it’s been crowded with royals, compared to this year’s comparatively pared-down crew.
In one viral moment, 6-year-old Prince Louis was seen dancing to the bagpipes during the parade while the princess looked on, smiling.
Despite her health struggles, the princess seemed upbeat at the two-and-a-half-hour ceremony, and her return is being hailed as “triumphant.”
It’s important to note that Saturday’s appearance does not mean the princess is fully resuming her royal duties. She previously said she hoped to join “a few public engagements over the summer” but stressed she’s “not out of the woods yet.”
This all comes as King Charles III is fighting his own battle with cancer. The monarch rode in a carriage to Trooping the Colour, as opposed to the traditional method of horseback, due to his health. Neither Charles nor Catherine has specified the type of cancer, but Buckingham Palace has said the King is not battling prostate cancer.
