Kate Middleton has reappeared at the Poppy Day celebrations and has also covered for the absence of Queen Camilla, who is recovering from a "chest infection". The Princess of Wales attended the tribute to the fallen of the First World War at the cenotaph in London on Sunday, a day after dazzling in her black dress at the Royal Albert Hall balcony during the memorial concert for the victims.
Remembrance Day or Poppy Day is traditionally one of the most significant dates for the royal family, hence the anticipation for Kate Middleton's reappearance, supporting King Charles in the minute of silence and in the laying of the wreath at the cenotaph.
This marks the first reappearance in two consecutive events for the Princess of Wales, two months after the video in which she announced the end of her chemotherapy treatment and her intention to be "cancer-free" and resume her royal duties normally.
However, the absence of Queen Camilla and the solitude of King Charles provided a contrasting note in the celebrations. "Her Majesty the Queen is currently unwell due to a chest infection, so her doctors have advised a brief period of rest," Buckingham Palace stated in a brief note.
The 77-year-old Queen canceled her public appearances upon returning from the official trip to Australia and Samoa. According to The Daily Mail, she is recovering under medical supervision at Ray Mill House, her family mansion in Wiltshire. Her absence from one of the most significant events of the year has caused concern among the British public, in a year marked by unspecified cancer diagnoses for King Charles and Kate Middleton.
Prince William acknowledged this week that it has been a "brutal" period for the family and probably "the hardest year of my life." "Trying to overcome this and move forward with everything has been really tough," added William, who traveled solo to Cape Town during the week for the Earthshot awards ceremony.
William and Kate made a surprise appearance together on October 10 in a meeting with the families affected by the multiple stabbings in Southport, where three girls died and ten were injured (the perpetrator was a 17-year-old boy Axel Rudakubana, son of Rwandan immigrants). The Princess of Wales, dedicated to her work supporting families in early childhood, wanted to be present at the meeting and expressed her desire to return to the public eye as allowed by her doctors.
"Catherine has returned to the gym and is likely to travel abroad next year," the official biographer Hello Robert Jobson told the magazine, anticipating that there will be few appearances leading up to Christmas, marking a year since her "disappearance" from public events due to health issues. "For now, the principle guiding her agenda will be 'less is more'," Jobson warned.
The twelve chimes of Big Ben marked the solemn moment under the gray skies of London. Kate Middleton, dressed in strict black, watched the scene from a balcony in Whitehall while Prince William, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, and King Charles laid poppy wreaths at the cenotaph.
The Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, and several former Prime Ministers joined the event, broadcast live by the BBC.