The Princess of Wales will delight the nation this weekend by taking part in the Trooping the Colour to celebrate the King’s official birthday after revealing she’s making “good progress” but is “not out of the woods yet”.
In a statement released tonight on the eve of the event, Kate said she has “good days and bad days”. She added that she “hopes to join a few public engagements over the summer” as she continues treatment for cancer “for a few more months”.
Speaking for the first time since revealing her cancer ordeal in March, the Princess released the heartfelt personal message to the nation and spoke positively about her illness, despite still undergoing the preventative chemotherapy.
A Palace source said she is “doing well” and “very much looking forward to being with her family” during the King’s birthday parade on Saturday, where she is expected to appear on Buckingham Palace balcony. The Princess released a serene and beautiful new photograph taken by celebrity and royal photographer Matt Porteous to go with her message, which was taken in the grounds of the Windsor estate under a weeping willow tree.
Kate, 42, announced she would be joining her three children George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine and Prince Louis, five, in a state carriage down The Mall for the big family moment. Prince William will take part in the military parade on horseback.
The Princess wanted to take part to show support to her children, her family and her love for the King, who is also having cancer treatment. She said in a personal message: “I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months.
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Matt Porteous)
“It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times. I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days. 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. My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months.
“On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home. 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.
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Matt Porteous)
“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. Thank you so much for your continued understanding, and to all of you who have so bravely shared your stories with me.”
Prior to her announcement royal sources confirmed the princess had personally spoken to the King – who is also undergoing cancer treatment after being diagnosed with the disease in February – and informed him of her wish to join him and the royal family for the parade.
A spokesperson for the King said: “His Majesty is delighted that The Princess is able to attend tomorrow’s events, and is very much looking forward to all elements of the day”. Kate, 42, will travel in a state carriage with her children and will then watch the parade from the Major General’s Office with the rest of the family before joining them on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The future queen is to make the “surprise” appearance even though she did not attend the Colonel’s Review on June 8th – the traditional rehearsal for the birthday parade. Kate, who is the honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards, had written to them to apologise for missing it and wishing them luck. She said: “Please pass my apologies to the whole Regiment, however, I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon.”
Lieutenant General James Bucknall will be taking the salute on her behalf. Trooping the Colour is the annual military parade marking the reigning British monarch’s official birthday. It has also been revealed the Princess has started working from home as it brings her “joy” but she is aware she still needs time to heal.
A royal source added: “this is a real journey and it takes time. And it’s very important the princess takes the time to recover”. The princess said both she, her husband Prince William and the entire Wales family are “deeply grateful” for the outpouring of love and support she has received around the world since she revealed her diagnosis in March.
In her heartfelt message to the nation, the princess also revealed that she hopes to attend some summer events as she feels able to and with the help of her medical team – but it is not at all a return to a full schedule.
Royal sources said any such public duties would be measured with how she is feeling at any given time and would not include next week’s Order of the Garter ceremony or any part of the Royal Ascot festival where other members of the royal family including the King and Queen are expected to be present.
Already she has been carrying out some duties from home, catching up on her reading and holding meetings because her work brings her “joy”. Those meetings have included briefings with her Kensington palace team, The Royal Foundation and the Centre for Early Childhood.
The Prince is said to have been pleased to see The Princess starting to engage with the work and projects that are important to her and will continue to focus on supporting her and his children while doing his own public duties. The photograph released was taken by Matt Porteous to reflect her love of nature which has been supporting her recovery. Since January, both King Charles and his daughter-in-law Kate, have been diagnosed with cancer and forced to take time away from their public duties.
King Charles has since returned to a slimmed down schedule of public duties, including travelling to Normandy for the D-Day 80th anniversary earlier this month. But Kate has not been seen publicly since March, when she revealed her cancer diagnosis in a video message to the nation. The Princess had stopped all public appearances after announcing her cancer diagnosis and having successful “planned abdominal surgery” in January.
In March, she released a video statement thanking the public for their “understanding” as she recovered from surgery. She explained: “It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family. In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment. This of course came as a huge shock…”
