Princess of Wales Makes a Big Showing

UPDATE Jun 15, 2024 7:00 AM CDT

Finally, a clear look at the Princess of Wales, after months of rumors and confusion. The AP reports that the former Kate Middleton rode Saturday from Buckingham Palace to parade grounds in London in a horse-drawn carriage with her three young children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, all part of the annual Trooping the Colour event. The princess, who made her first public appearance this year since her cancer diagnosis, wore a white dress with black trim and a wide-brimmed white hat. Prince William followed the route separately on horseback. Kate also appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with other family members—including King Charles, who has also been hit with a cancer diagnosis—to watch a military flyby, per CNN. The Independent has more photos of the 42-year-old princess and her royal brood. This article has been updated with more details about Kate's appearance.

Jun 14, 2024 1:27 PM CDT

It's the moment the world has been waiting for—or at least the moment royal watchers have been waiting for. As People notes, "it's official"—Princess Kate, who's been contending with a cancer diagnosis, will make her first public showing in six months, at the Trooping the Colour event on Saturday in London. "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," the Princess of Wales said in a statement, per the AP.

NBC News notes that the 42-year-old princess's appearance at the event—which it describes as "a traditional show of military pomp and pageantry"—was somewhat of a surprise, as she wasn't at the rehearsal for it last weekend. It's expected that Kate will ride in a horse-drawn carriage down the Mall with children George, Charlotte, and Louis, then join her husband, Prince William, and his father, King Charles III, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the Royal Air Force do a flyby.

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In her statement, the princess also revealed some more about her treatment and how she's doing. "I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days," she says. "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." She adds that she expects her treatment to last "for a few more months," and that "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." Read her statement in full here. (More Kate Middleton stories.)