Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, continued her return to public duties on Remembrance Sunday, watching on as King Charles and Prince William laid wreaths at the Cenotaph. Next to her on the balcony was Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, no doubt a reassuring presence for the mother of three as she continues to recover from her chemotherapy treatment. According to one royal insider, though, it won’t be long before we see another royal by Catherine’s side for this sort of major royal engagement – Prince George.
Prince George may only be 11 years old, but according to Alisa Anderson, former press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth II, it won’t be long before Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte’s older brother accompanies his mother to events like Remembrance Sunday.
‘I’m sure there will be a time in the not-too-distant future when Prince George will be up there,’ Anderston told People, referring to the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, where it is customary for Catherine to stand for the occasion.
The Princess of Wales has not missed a Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph since she married into the royal family, 13 years ago. While many were reassured by her presence, Anderson said it the picture of her and Sophie standing side by side on the balcony was a reminder of how much the Firm has changed over the past few years.
This reduction in the number of working royals was part of King Charles’ vision for his reign. But with the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the estrangement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, many have been wondering whether a ‘stripped back’ royal family is left vulnerable in times of crisis – like, for example, Catherine and the King’s cancer diagnoses.
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The House of Windsor was able to fall back on ‘secret weapons’, such as the Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Anne, but there have been calls recently for Prince William to consider utilising his cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and younger royals like Lady Louise Windsor as he looks towards his own reign.
No doubt, then, that the ascendency of Prince George will be much anticipated in the coming years. The 11-year-old royal is now a mainstay of events like Trooping the Colour, and has been attending more and more football matches with his father, Prince William (perhaps preparing him to inherit the patron of the FA?). It’s not bad for the boy who once wanted to be a pizza chef, but attending events such as Remembrance Day ceremonies is a solemn task, and one that the Prince and Princess of Wales may feel warrants a degree of maturity that the young Prince George is beginning to develop.
Either way, seeing the Princess of Wales on the balcony above the Cenotaph will have served as a welcome reminder to many that, despite the turbulent year of health battles that the royal family have faced – Catherine admitted that 2024 has been ‘incredibly tough’ and Prince William recently called it the hardest year of his life – royal traditions continue to endure. That Catherine felt she could face this most serious of engagements on a chilly November morning signals, Anderson added, an obvious determination to return to duty.
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