On March 5, Buckingham Palace announced that the Princess of Wales will attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey in London next week on Monday, March 10. Princess Kate, 43, missed the event last year while recovering from abdominal surgery before announcing that she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kate Middleton will attend a key event on the royal family’s annual calendar after missing it last year.
She will join Prince William, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester at the service celebrating the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 nations, most formerly under British rule, and King Charles is the ceremonial head of the network which exists to enrich the lives of its citizens.
The theme of Commonwealth Day this year is “Together We Thrive” and 2,000 guests will come together to commemorate “the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth family,” a statement said. While working members of the royal family typically step out in full force for the Commonwealth observance at Westminster Abbey, last year was different because both Princes Kate and the King, 76, did not attend for health-related reasons.
The Princess of Wales was not expected to appear at the Commonwealth Day service on March 11, 2024, as she recuperated from a “planned abdominal surgery” that January. Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17, 2024 that the princess’ procedure the day before had been a success, but that she was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” which fell last year on March 31.
READ: Zara Tindall Stuns In New Photoshoot—And Her Royal Style Inspiration Might Surprise You!
That March 22, the Princess of Wales shared she was undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer following post-operative testing after the procedure. Princess Kate then stepped out of the limelight to focus on her health, sharing in September that she completed chemotherapy and relayed with “relief” on Jan. 14 that she is “in “remission.”
The royal made that revelation after a surprise stop at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, which came with the confirmation that she had had treatment there. The Princess of Wales has increasingly filled her public schedule ever since, and most recently traveled to south Wales with Prince William last week on Feb. 26 to visit a community recovering after flooding.
King Charles also did not attend the Commonwealth Service in person in March 2024 as the commemoration fell a few weeks after Buckingham Palace announced that he was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment.
The King’s office announced the news last Feb. 5 and said that he had been “advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.” To heed that advice but still show support for the Commonwealth Service, the monarch instead sent a video message in which he pledged to serve to “the best of my ability.”
King Charles resumed forward-facing engagements in late April and has been busy ever since. Shortly before Christmas, palace sources said his treatment for cancer would continue into the new year.
Prince William and Queen Camilla led the royal family at the church service last year, where they headed the procession side by side.
Princess Kate last attended the Commonwealth Day Service in 2023, when she and Queen Camilla, 77, had to hang on to their hats in the blustery March weather.
English