Kate Middleton made her return to the annual Commonwealth Day service yesterday at Westminster Abbey, where she and Prince William were married nearly 14 years ago. The Princess of Wales wore a red Catherine Walker re-wear for the March 10 event. This latest appearance is another step in Kate’s continual return to royal duty after her cancer battle last year.
She missed most of the yearly events in 2024, including the Commonwealth Day service, as she remained out of the limelight during her treatment. Earlier this year, Kate announced she is in remission. “It certainly seems to me that she has got her mojo back,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said.
Kate’s return to royal duties
“Catherine is looking fantastic and looks as if she is enjoying every engagement.”
Bond noted that “we are seeing more of her than many of us expected so early in the year” and that “the welcome she’s getting wherever she goes must make her realize that she is the star of the royal family.”
Last year was challenging for Kate, not only due to her cancer diagnosis but also because of her husband’s ongoing personal health issues. Despite these difficulties, William and Kate, who remain the Prince and Princess of Wales, are taking every opportunity to spend time with their children.
They even skipped the BAFTAs last month to take a family vacation in the Caribbean. “She knows perfectly well that many parents don’t have the luxury of choosing to be with their young children all the time,” Bond said. “And she, too, is returning to her royal role—but she is lucky enough to be able to do it on her own terms, and she is sticking to that.”
Bond believes that last year’s health battle realigned Kate’s priorities, as well as those of her husband.
“I don’t think anyone is ever the same after an experience with cancer,” she said. “William and Catherine must now cherish even more every single day that they spend together and with their children.”