Kate to honour war dead with two public appearances over Remembrance weekend

The Princess of Wales is to attend both the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall this weekend, Buckingham Palace has announced.

It marks the next significant step in Kate’s gradual return to public royal duties as she prepares to join the King and the Prince of Wales to honour the nation’s war dead.

The announcement comes after William candidly spoke of how 2024 has been “brutal” and “probably been the hardest year in my life”, with both Kate and the King diagnosed with cancer.

Kate, who revealed eight months ago she had an undisclosed form of the disease, will attend the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening and then the national commemoration at the Cenotaph on Sunday.

It will be the first time she has carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements since the start of the year.

The Queen’s attendance over the weekend will, however, be subject to medical advice nearer the time.

Camilla, 77, is unwell with a chest infection and was forced to pull out of engagements earlier this week.

She is still resting at her Wiltshire home Raymill.

In a video Kate released in September, she revealed she had finished her chemotherapy treatment, and spoke of how she was “looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months”.

But she added her focus was “doing what I can to stay cancer free”.

Charles, who recently completed his first long haul overseas tour since his own cancer diagnosis, will lay a wreath of poppies on Sunday at the base of the memorial, leading the nation in tribute to its fallen servicemen and women.

Thousands of veterans proudly wearing their medals, military families and the public will gather in remembrance of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

William will also leave a floral tribute – featuring the Prince of Wales’s feathers and a new ribbon in Welsh red – at the historic Portland stone monument.

The King’s wreath pays tribute to that of his grandfather George VI, and his mother Elizabeth II, incorporating the sovereign’s racing colours of scarlet, purple and gold.

Even if Camilla attends the service, her poppy wreath will be placed by an equerry from the Royal Household, as is the custom.

Kate will watch, as is tradition, from above, on the nearby Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office balcony overlooking Whitehall, taking part in the solemn two-minute silence and viewing the veterans’ march past.

William said on Wednesday during his trip to Cape Town that his wife was “doing really well” and has been “amazing this whole year”.

The princess, 42, has made just a handful of public appearances so far in 2024, after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January and then was diagnosed with cancer.

Her last engagement was a month ago, when she made a surprise trip to meet families whose children were killed in the Southport attack and speak to emergency workers who helped at the scene after the devastating knife attack.

In her heartfelt video in September, Kate opened up about her cancer journey, as the Wales family were shown enjoying time together outdoors.

The princess said she was entering “this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life”.

“The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” she said.

She added: “Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long.”

At the start of October, the princess was pictured hugging an aspiring teenage photographer with a rare and aggressive form of cancer after inviting her to take pictures at investitures at Windsor Castle.

Kate met Liz Hatton, 16, from Harrogate, and her family privately after the ceremony with William.

In June, Kate looked relaxed during her first day in the spotlight following her diagnosis when she appeared at the traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony.

She took part in the carriage procession and joined William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and other royals on the Palace balcony.

It came the day after a health update from Kate, who was pictured in the grounds of the Windsor Castle estate, standing in a tranquil setting against a weeping willow tree near a lake.

She issued a written message saying she was “making good progress” and had “good days and bad days”, but added: “I am not out of the woods yet.”

A few weeks later she made another rare appearance when she presented the Wimbledon men’s final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz.

The princess, patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, was accompanied by Charlotte and chatted to ball boys and girls, and entered Centre Court to loud applause.

She has also met aides to discuss staging her annual Christmas carol service in December, and held meetings on her early years work.

Also attending the Festival of Remembrance and the Cenotaph service will be the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent.

The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance is staged annually on the Saturday evening of Remembrance weekend.

It honours sacrifices made by the British and Commonwealth armed forces community and includes musical performances and personal testimonies.

This year’s festival will showcase the contribution of the Second World War generation 80 years on from the D-Day landings, and commemorate 25 years since Nato peacekeeping forces were deployed in Kosovo, and 10 years since the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.