Princess of Wales continues return to Royal duties with Festival of Remembrance appearance

The Princess of Wales has marked an important step in her progressive return to Royal public engagements by making an appearance at the Festival of Remembrance.

Alongside her husband, the Prince of Wales, and King Charles, her attendance at the poignant Royal British Legion event follows William's heartfelt admission that 2024 has proven to be "brutal" and "probably been the hardest year in my life", as both his wife and father faced cancer diagnoses.

The crowd at the Royal Albert Hall offered a warm reception and applause as Charles sat beside Princess Anne for Saturday's tribute, which commemorates the sacrifices of the British and Commonwealth armed forces community, featuring musical renditions and intimate stories. Notably, the audience rose and delivered applause as the King made his entrance accompanied by a regal trumpet fanfare played by the household division's state trumpeters.

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The festival saw William and Kate, both adorned with poppies, offer their applause to Sir Tom Jones' stirring performance of 'I Won't Crumble With You If You Fall', accompanied by the central band of the Royal Air Force, and participate in honouring Second World War veterans alongside other royals. In addition to Anne’s spouse, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended; however, the Queen was notably absent from the Festival and will not be present at the upcoming Cenotaph ceremony on Sunday due to recovery from a chest infection.

From the Royal box, the group attentively watched as current serving personnel paid tribute to those who lost their lives in Afghanistan. Towards the end of the evening, they joined in singing a hymn.

Charles, William and Kate all stood to participate in the rendition of Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, with the Royal emblem displayed on the rail in front of the box. The Waleses also took part in more of the music as they sang along to the national anthem.

Following the song, serving personnel on the hall floor removed their headwear and gave three cheers to the King, who acknowledged the crowd after the anthem. The Royal family observed a moment of silence as the Last Post was played and poppy petals fell from the ceiling at the Royal British Legion event.

On Sunday, Kate, who disclosed eight months ago that she had an undisclosed form of cancer, will attend the national commemoration at the Cenotaph. This will mark her first time carrying out two consecutive days of public official engagements since the beginning of the year.

In a video released by the princess in September, she announced the completion of her chemotherapy treatment and expressed her anticipation for "looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months". However, she emphasised that her main focus was "doing what I can to stay cancer free".

This Sunday, as per tradition, Kate will observe from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office balcony overlooking Whitehall during the veterans’ march past and join in the solemn two-minute silence. During his visit to Cape Town on Wednesday, Prince William expressed that his wife has been "doing really well" and dubbed her "amazing this whole year".

Following a major abdominal surgery in January and subsequent cancer diagnosis, Kate, at the age of 42, has been seen in only a handful of public events in 2024. Her most recent engagement occurred a month ago when she unexpectedly visited families affected by the tragic Southport attack and conversed with first responders.

Earlier in October, Kate was captured in a heartwarming embrace with Liz Hatton, a teenage photographer battling a rare and severe form of cancer, whom she had invited to Windsor Castle to photograph investitures alongside Prince William. Moreover, over the summer, Kate graced the traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony and bestowed the Wimbledon men’s singles trophy upon Carlos Alcaraz as the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.