Catherine attends first major royal event after cancer treatment

CATHERINE, Princess of Wales, attended her first major royal event since completing chemotherapy for cancer, appearing at the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday.

The concert, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall, is one of the key events in the royal calendar honouring Britain's war dead, along with Sunday’s ceremony at the Cenotaph.

Seated with her husband, Prince William, Catherine watched the event, smiling and clapping alongside him. King Charles joined them in the royal box, continuing his own public appearances while undergoing cancer treatment.

This evening The King, The Prince and Princess of Wales, and other members of the Royal Family, attended the Festival of Remembrance at the @RoyalAlbertHall. Organised by @PoppyLegion, the Festival is an annual commemorative concert which honours all those who have lost their… pic.twitter.com/7kobYtnKNc

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 9, 2024

In February, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles, 75, had been diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer, leading him to reduce his public engagements. The following month, Catherine, 42, revealed her own cancer diagnosis and shared that she was undergoing chemotherapy.

Both have gradually resumed limited public duties. Charles recently paused his treatment for an overseas tour in Australia and Samoa, while Catherine, in September, mentioned she had completed her chemotherapy and was looking forward to more engagements "when I can."

In October, she and Prince William visited Southport in northwest England to meet residents impacted by a knife attack in July, which tragically killed three young girls.

Catherine is also set to participate in the Sunday wreath-laying at the Cenotaph near parliament, where she will join political leaders and armed forces personnel in honouring war veterans. This will mark her first consecutive days of public engagements since the start of the year.

Reflecting on the past year, William described it as "brutal" and possibly the "hardest" of his life due to the double cancer diagnoses. Speaking on Thursday in South Africa after his Earthshot prize initiative, he said, "Honestly, it's been dreadful... Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult."

Queen Camilla missed the concert on Saturday and will not attend Sunday’s service, as she recovers from a chest infection. The palace indicated that she "hopes to return to public duties early next week."

(With inputs from AFP)