Britain: Kate, Princess Of Wales, Announces First Public Appearance Amid Cancer Treatment, Says ‘Making Good Progress'
The 42-year-old wife of Prince William had not made any public appearances this year. She revealed in March that she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer.
Kate, Princess of Wales, announced on Friday that she is "making good progress" in her cancer treatment and will attend Saturday's Trooping the Colour ceremony, her first public appearance since her diagnosis. The 42-year-old wife of Prince William had not made any public appearances this year. She revealed in March that she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer.
"I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days," Kate stated on Friday. She added that she still faces "a few more months" of treatment.
"On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well," she added.
I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months. It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 14, 2024
I am making good progress, but as anyone going… pic.twitter.com/J1jTlgwRU8
"I’m looking forward to attending The King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet," Kate said.
Her announcement came after months of disappearance from the public forum but did not signify a return to full-time public duties.
Trooping the Colour, also known as the King's Birthday Parade, is an annual military parade celebrating the monarch's official birthday in June. King Charles III, also undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, was sent to oversee the ceremony, where troops in full dress uniform parade past the king with their ceremonial flag, or "colour".
Kate was expected to travel in a horse-drawn carriage from Buckingham Palace with her children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — before watching the ceremony from a building beside the parade ground. According to an AP report, she might also join other royals for the traditional Buckingham Palace balcony appearance.
Kate's announcement in March followed speculation on social media about her well-being and absence from the public view. She had disclosed few details about her illness, which was discovered after major abdominal surgery in January.
In a March video message, Kate described the diagnosis as "a huge shock," adding that she and William had been "doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family".
On Friday, Kate thanked the public, saying she had been "blown away by all the kind of messages of support and encouragement".
"I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty. Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal," she said. "Thank you so much for your continued understanding, and to all of you who have so bravely shared your stories with me".
Charles, 75, had disclosed his cancer in February and had recently resumed some public duties. He attended commemorations this week for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe on June 6, 1944.
Charles was expected to travel to Saturday's event by carriage with Queen Consort Camilla and to watch the ceremony seated on a dais, rather than on horseback as he did last year, and AP report said.
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