The Princess of Wales made her first public appearance alongside the British royal family since Christmas when she participated in King Charles’ birthday procession.
Despite her cancer diagnosis, Kate Middleton made her first royal appearance since Christmas, and her presence at Trooping the Colour was much-needed.
The 42-year-old Princess of Wales joined the royal family on June 15 for King Charles’ birthday procession. She participated in the parade by traveling through London in a horse-drawn carriage with her three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. Her relatives drove them to Buckingham Palace.
The royal mother, wearing a Jenny Packham white dress with a Philip Treacy hat and the Irish Guards Regimental Brooch on it, and the children rode in the Glass Coach, which protected them from the rain. Constructed in 1881 and acquired for the coronation of King George V in 1911, the Glass Coach has transported numerous royal brides to their nuptials, such as Princess Anne in 1973, Princess Diana in 1981, and Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
Since marrying Prince William in 2011, Princess Kate has participated in Trooping the Colour every year with the exception of 2020 and 2021, when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Princess Kate issued a new photo and a handwritten message the day before, providing an update on her health, confirming that she will be attending King Charles’ traditional birthday parade. Following her January abdominal surgery, the queen revealed on March 22 in a heartfelt video that she was receiving chemotherapy after post-operative testing revealed a cancer diagnosis.
In the June 14 message, she said, “I hope to join a few public engagements over the summer and am looking forward to attending the King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet.”
She hadn’t left the house for a royal occasion since December, when she went with the family on their yearly Christmas church visit, when she made her appearance for Trooping the Colour. That month, Kate went on a lot of excursions. She hosted her third annual Christmas carol concert and attended the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace wearing a tiara.
Princess Kate has been concentrating on her health by keeping a low public profile in the months following her cancer declaration, but insiders informed PEOPLE that she was recently observed out and about with her family as well as conducting errands by herself. No timetable has been established for the Princess of Wales to completely return to her royal duties, but in her June 14 letter, she stated that she is “starting to do a little work from home” and that she “hopes to join a few public engagements over the summer.” In the near future, any excursions will be determined by her comfort level and the advice of her medical staff.
One week before Trooping the Colour on June 8, Princess Kate was not present at the Colonel’s Review, the last rehearsal. The five regiments of the Foot Guards, Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh, rotate yearly, and she is the honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards, who are leading the charge in this year’s festivities. Only one flag can be trooped at a time. The palace declared on May 30 that the Princess of Wales will not be participating in the moment when she would have typically taken the salute during the Colonel’s Review. Rather, during the practice event, the salute was taken by Lieutenant General James Bucknall, a former Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps who has attended every Trooping the Colour since he was appointed Colonel of the Coldstream Guards in 2009.
“Being your colonel remains a great honor, and I am very sorry that I’m unable to take the salute at this year’s Colonel’s Review,” Kate wrote in a letter that she shared with the Irish Guards. I hope to get the opportunity to represent the entire Regiment once more soon, but in the meantime, please accept my sincere apologies. Please accept my warmest regards and best of success to everyone concerned.
“Colonel Catherine” is how the Princess of Wales signed her name. In the midst of receiving his own cancer diagnosis and treatment, King Charles attended Trooping the Colour, but somewhat differently than in years past. The 75-year-old monarch accompanied Queen Camilla in a horse-drawn carriage during the procession, despite having previously appeared on horseback.
The King has returned to a more rigorous regimen of royal obligations, which includes public engagements.
