Prince William helped lead the 2024 Trooping the Colour procession on horseback.
Like last year, the Prince of Wales, 41, rode in the ceremonial parade honoring his father, King Charles III, in London on Saturday, June 15, along with Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
His wife, Princess Kate Middleton, attended the royal celebrations in her first public appearance since revealing her cancer diagnosis in March.
The Princess of Wales was spotted in a carriage leaving Buckingham Palace with her and William’s three children, Prince George, 10, daughter Princess Charlotte, 9, and son Prince Louis, 6, ahead of King Charles’ official birthday procession through London.
Kate smiled and waved to the amassed crowd in a carriage behind King Charles and Queen Camilla. She and her children then disembarked the carriage to watch the official parade from the Horse Guards Parade in St. James’s Park.
William and Kate have always jointly appeared at Trooping the Colour since she became an official member of the royal family in April 2011. They both skipped the scaled-back festivities in 2020 and 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kate, 42, revealed in March that she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy. Earlier in the year, she stepped back from her public duties, explaining in her announcement video that she and William had “been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family” as she focused on healing.
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The princess confirmed on Friday, June 14, that she would be in attendance on Saturday with their three kids.
“I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months. It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times,” she said in a statement. “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.”
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Amid Kate’s ongoing recovery, a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month that her team is “reevaluating what she’s going to be able to take on when she comes back,” although she “may never come back in the role that people saw her in before.”
As for William, he has carried on with his public-facing role while Kate and Charles, 75, received treatment for cancer.
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“It’s been stressful,” an insider told Us in April. “William feels a profound sense of duty to uphold the monarchy’s stability and inspire confidence in the public that everything will be OK. It’s an immense responsibility.”
That same month, royal author Robert Jobson told Hello! that the couple’s “ups and downs” over the years have “cemented their bond, which is now unshakeable.”
“It has been tough on both of them, not least as parents, as they try to reconcile their children’s mental wellbeing and the seriousness of her diagnosis,” Jobson added. “But there is no question that William has been Catherine’s rock. He is the constant in her life and she is at the heart of his.”
