Kate Middleton makes first public appearance after cancer treatment
Kate Middleton was a welcome sight at Trooping the Colour, her first royal outing since Christmas following a cancer diagnosis.
The 42-year-old Princess of Wales joined the royal family at King Charles’ birthday parade on June 15. After arriving at Buckingham Palace by car with her family, she took part in the procession in a horse-drawn carriage in London with her three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.
The royal mother and children, wearing a white dress adorned with an Irish Guards regimental brooch by Jenny Packham and a hat made by Philip Treacy, were travelling in a glass coach that protected them from the rainy weather. The Glass Coach, which was built in 1881 and purchased for the coronation of King George V in 1911, has brought many royal brides to their weddings, including Princess Anne in 1973, Princess Diana in 1981 and Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
Princess Kate has attended Trooping the Colour every year since marrying Prince William in 2011, except in 2020 and 2021 when the event was reduced in size due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kate Middleton wrote a letter giving an update on her health and expressed interest in attending King Charles’ birthday.
Princess Kate’s attendance at King Charles’ annual birthday parade was confirmed a day earlier when she released a new photo and personal letter containing an update on her health. In the June 14 message, she said, “I look forward to joining the King’s Birthday Parade with my family this weekend and attending some public events over the summer, but also know that I am not out of the woods yet.”
Her appearance at Trooping the Colour marked her first appearance at a royal event since December when she joined the family for the annual Christmas church visit. Kate did a lot that month, from hosting her third annual Christmas carol concert to wearing a tiara at a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace. Also read – R.E.M founding members reunite after almost 3 Decades
Kate’s Apology to the Irish Guards
Kate Middleton did not attend the Colonel’s Review, the final rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, which took place a week earlier on June 8. She is the honorary colonel of the Irish Guards, who are leading the charge at this year’s ceremony (only one flag can be trooped at a time, so the five regiments of the Foot Guards — Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh — change each year).
The Princess of Wales would usually take the salute at the Colonel’s Review, but the palace announced on May 30 that she would not take the salute on this occasion. Instead, Lieutenant General James Bucknall, former commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, who has attended every Trooping the Colour since being appointed Colonel of the Coldstream Guards in 2009, took the salute at the practice event.
In a letter shared with the Irish Guards, Kate Middleton said, “It is a great honour to be your Colonel, and I am very sorry that I am unable to take the salute at this year’s Colonel’s Review. Please pass on my apologies to the whole regiment, however, I hope to be able to represent you all once again soon. Please send my best wishes and best wishes to everyone.”