The Princess of Wales is set to make her second appearance today at the Cenotaph after wowing the public at the Festival of Remembrance yesterday.
Kate was radiant as she cut a sleek figure in a black dress walking alongside Prince William into the lavish Kensington venue to celebrate Britain’s servicemen and women at the Royal Albert Hall.
It was the Princess of Wales’ first high profile appearance since being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, in a year described by William as the ‘hardest’ of his life, where he remarked how proud he was of his father and wife for their bravery.
In the wake of Kate completing her cancer treatment, the Prince of Wales said at the end of his visit to South Africa that 2024 had been ‘brutal’ and he hoped to carry out oversees tours once again with Kate in the future.
After making a glowing appearance at the renowned London music hall, the beaming Princess is set to carry our a second consecutive day of honouring Britain’s fallen heroes with the King at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
The Princess of Wales beamed as she appeared at the Royal Albert Hall for the Festival of Remembrance for her first high-profile appearance in months after cancer treatment
The Princess of Wales had undergone treatment for an undisclosed cancer over the past few months, taking a step back from her duties due to her health
Kate attended the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on November 12, 2023
The National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London on November 12, 2023
The Prince and Princess of Wales also led the applause as the crowd touchingly honoured the families of fallen soldiers at the Festival of Remembrance last night.
The Royal couple appeared solemn as the applause erupted at the Royal Albert Hall in tribute to the servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives for Britain.
The lavish venue eagerly clapped as military personnel laid roses to honour those who had passed in Afghanistan, with Ben O’Donnell the son of late warrant officer Gary O’Donnell placing the final flower.
There was not a dry eye in the house, as the crowd – including the Royals stood in silence with tear-filled eyes to remember those who had sacrificed everything for King and Country.
King Charles also received a standing ovation and applause upon entering the Royal Albert Hall, as he sat next to the Princess Royal, with the Queen notably absent from the Festival.
Buckingham Palace confirmed Camilla will not attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening, nor the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph on Sunday.
A Palace spokesperson said: ‘Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events.
Princess Kate glowed as she shook hands with officials as she enters the event at the Royal Albert Hall
Kate looked radiant as she cut a sleek figure in a stunning black dress with a poppy pin honouring Britain’s military tonight
A bearded Prince William entering the Royal Albert Hall upbeat in a blue suit alongside Princess Kate
The Prince and Princess of Wales honouring Britain’s servicemen and women at the Royal Albert Hall
A bearded Prince William and Princess Kate were all smiles this evening as they clap as the performers take to the stage
The Royal couple appeared happy as they looked forward to the Remembrance weekend ahead
‘While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week.’
It is understood there is no cause for alarm, and no downturn in her condition. The Queen is said to be mindful of minimising the risk of passing any last lingering infection to others.
She is said to have dearly wanted to pay tribute in person to the nation’s fallen servicemen and women this weekend.
The Princess of Wales, who is recovering from cancer and the King, who is still having ongoing treatment for cancer, are both attending the Remembrance events including laying wreaths at the Cenotaph today.
The service at the Cenotaph is an important fixture in the royal calendar and holds deep personal meaning for the Queen, through her official connections to the armed forces, and because of her late father Major Bruce Shand’s military service.
Members of the Royal family will, together with senior politicians, lay wreaths during the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph to mark the Armistice of the First World War and all other conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.
The Royal British Legion’s veteran parade will see 10,000 veterans, representing 326 different armed forces and civilian organisations, march past the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.
King Charles arrived solo after Queen Camilla announced earlier she would not be attending tonight’s event due to an ongoing chest infection
The King looked upbeat as he arrived at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance
Britain’s King Charles and Britain’s Princess Anne applauding during the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance tonight
The King and the Princess Royal also appeared emotional as the crowd stood in silence and petals fell from the sky
Princess Kate, Prince William, Prince of Wales, King Charles as well Britain’s Princess Anne, Princess Royal clap as they pay tribute to British military personnel
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer attending the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London
The Prime Minister and his wife were seemingly happy as they enteredthe Royal Albert Hall tonight
Thousands of people are expected to line Whitehall to take part in the two-minute silence.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in the Second World War and the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo.
It also marks the 75th anniversary of Nato and the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between the UK and France.
More than 800 sailors, soldiers and aviators will be on duty on Remembrance Sunday, representing their services at the Cenotaph and at commemorative services at Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral.
On Sunday 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.
His Majesty is expected to lay a wreath designed to pay homage to his grandfather King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.
The wreath of poppies will be placed on a bed of black leaves, bearing the monarch’s racing colours of scarlet, purple and gold – as is traditional for a Sovereign.
Queen Camilla’s wreath, which also bears her racing colours inherited from her grandfather and inspired by the Queen Mother, will be placed on her behalf by an Equerry from the Royal Household. Both wreathes were made by the Poppy Factory.
Alexandra Burke (left) looks emotionally to the ground as she pays her respects
Poppy petals raining from the sky at the Royal Albert Hall tonight
A serviceman leading the tributes at the Royal Albert Hall tonight
A band has taken to centre of the stage at tonight’s festivities at the Royal Albert Hall
Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday that the Queen (pictured) was cancelling her forthcoming engagements due to a chest infection.
The Queen has just completed a mammoth tour of Australia and Samoa with King Charles. The couple are pictured smiling together during a visit to a beach in Apia, Samoa
Camilla is resting at home in Wiltshire after falling ill following her long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa
Prince William will lay the wreath previously placed by King Charles III, featuring the Prince of Wales feathers and a new ribbon in Welsh red.
Princess Kate, 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.
In a video the princess 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’.
Regarding the Remembrance weekend, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the ‘courage and sacrifice of so many over the generations’ brings the country together on Remembrance Day ‘in a spirit of the most profound gratitude and respect’.
While Defence Secretary John Healey said it was a ‘duty’ to ‘educate future generations about their courage and commitment to defending Britain’.
According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport ‘people of all ages’ will be among those marching – from bereaved military children of the Scotty’s Little Soldiers charity through to D-Day veterans of the Spirit of Normandy Trust.