The Duchess of Cambridge attended a memorial service at London’s Cenotaph on Sunday, just two months after announcing she had completed chemotherapy.
Buckingham Palace announced Friday that the Princess of Wales will take part in the ceremony, her first major royal event since declaring herself “cancer-free.”
Duchess Kate, 42, appeared on one of three balconies next to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, at the ceremony. She watched as her husband Prince William, 42, and father-in-law King Charles III, 75, laid a wreath in memory of the fallen soldiers.
The mother of three wore a black coat with a velvet ribbon. The look was by one of Princess Diana’s favorite designers, Catherine Walker & Company.
Other royals attending the event included Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
Sunday’s memorial service was also Charles’ first church service since he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
Queen Camilla, 77, did not attend as she developed a chest infection and canceled her calendar. She was still represented by her own wreath laid by her charge, Major Ollie Plunkett of the Rifles.
A number of other royals attended Saturday’s Memorial Service, including Duchess Kate and Princes Charles and William. The princess wore a black dress paired with pearl drop earrings and a quilted Chanel handbag.
Held on the second Sunday of November each year, Remembrance Day honors those who died in world wars and other conflicts. The service at the Cenotaph in London is described as a “center of national mourning” on the royal family’s website, and the royal family, along with government officials, commemorated the war dead by observing a two-minute silence at the Cenotaph in London. It expresses the meaning of 11am.
After placing a poppy wreath at the base of the Cenotaph, a short religious service followed with a chorus of trumpets and the singing of the national anthem (“God, the King!”), during which an estimated 10,000 retired soldiers, according to the Royal College of British Legions, died. A march of soldiers takes place. .
Since marrying Prince William in 2011, Duchess Kate has been pregnant every year with her and William’s three children: Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. He participates in the National Memorial Ceremony every year.
The Princess of Wales, who attended the annual Festival of Remembrance at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s service, was the first major event of the Remembrance Weekend, giving a personal speech in front of an audience of military families. There were testimonies, talks, and musical performances.
Kate announced her cancer diagnosis in March after conspiracy theories spread about why she had not been seen in public since undergoing abdominal surgery in January.
While undergoing preventive chemotherapy, she appeared publicly in several events over the next few months, including this year’s Trooping the Color to celebrate King Charles’ official birthday and joining members of the royal family at the Wimbledon men’s final in July. I appeared on the scene.
The princess announced on September 9 that she was “cancer-free” and began returning to public life shortly thereafter. In October, she made her first public appearance since undergoing chemotherapy, traveling to Southport, England, to meet with the parents of the victims of a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July.
Prince William traveled to London for the Remembrance Weekend event after hosting the annual Earthshot Awards ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa. On the final day of his trip, Prince William spoke to reporters about the “rough year” he had been through following Kate Middleton’s and his father’s battle with cancer.
“It was terrifying. This year has probably been the most difficult year of my life,” the prince said.
“So it was really hard trying to get everything on track past everything else.”
“But I’m very proud of my wife. I’m proud of my father for dealing with what they did,” he added. “But from a personal family perspective, it was certainly brutal.”
When asked how Kate is doing after chemotherapy, William replied: “She’s doing well.”
