Kate Middleton Makes First Public Appearance Since Cancer Diagnosis
Kate Middleton has made her much-anticipated first public appearance of the year at the annual Trooping the Colour parade.
The princess, who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, could be seen smiling and waving from the Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of a ceremony filled with pomp and pageantry.
King Charles III, who is also receiving treatment for cancer, traveled in a carriage, rather than on horseback.
Thousands waited in the heavy rain for one of the biggest events in the royal calendar.
There were cheers from the crowd as they caught their first glimpse of Kate and the King heading from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade.
The carriage procession was met by a sea of mobile phones, with people trying to catch a photograph of the royals through the windows.
Kate Middleton was pictured smiling, sitting alongside her children Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.
The ceremonial event marks the King’s official birthday and has been held for over 260 years.
It was Kate’s first public appearance since Christmas and in March she had revealed she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
In a statement released on June 14, the Princess of Wales said she was “not out of the woods yet”, and had “good days and bad days”, but was “looking forward to attending the King’s birthday parade this weekend with my family”.
In a change from last year, she watched the ceremony from a balcony with her children, instead of joining other senior royals on a dais.
Prince Louis danced to a march by the Scots Guards, and was spotted yawning while watching the parade.
His sister, Princess Charlotte, was seen wiping steam off their carriage’s windows, as they made their way back to Buckingham Palace.
King Charles, who also continues to have cancer treatment, traveled with Queen Camilla by carriage.
Since the general election was called last month, the palace has had to postpone some events which might have been seen as a “distraction”, but the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony went ahead.
As the King’s carriage emerged from behind the Buckingham Palace gates, cheers could be heard from the watching crowd.
Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward rode on horseback in military uniform.