Catherine, Princess of Wales, appeared in public on Saturday for the first time since her cancer diagnosis, smiling as she rode in a carriage with her three children as she took part in a ceremonial parade to mark the birthday of her father-in-law, King Charles III.
Crowds gathered in central London to watch the princess and her family attend an event full of military tradition, music and pageantry, dampened only slightly by light rain. Her appearance was hailed as a sign of improvement in her medical condition and a significant moment for the British royal family, which suffered another blow this year when King Charles announced he also had cancer.
However, when she announced on Friday evening that she was well enough to attend Saturday's events, the princess made it clear that her recovery still had a long way to go.
“I am making good progress, but as anyone who has undergone chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” Catherine, 42, said in a statement released to the media. “On those bad days you feel weak, tired and have to surrender to resting your body,” she added. “But on good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling good.”
Catherine traveled with her three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – in a state carriage to watch the military parade. The princess greeted her every now and then during the short carriage ride before moving to witness the ceremony from a privileged indoor point of view. She is also expected to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the rest of the royal family to watch a Royal Air Force flyby.
Her husband, William, the Prince of Wales, will be on horseback during the events.
Catherine was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery in January and had not been seen at an official event this year until Saturday. In March you publicly declared that you were undergoing a course of preventive chemotherapy.
In another sign of Catherine's progress, her office said she had begun working occasionally from home and was meeting with her official teams when she felt able. The princess also said in her statement that she hopes to attend some public engagements over the summer, adding that she is “not out of the woods yet.”
Evidence of his recovery will be particularly welcome to the royal family as his health problems coincide with those of King Charles, who was treated for cancer in January. He has begun his return to public life and last week attended ceremonies in France commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings that heralded the end of World War II.
On Saturday, Charles, who celebrated his 75th birthday in November, traveled by carriage rather than on horseback, as is normal during the procession, known as Trooping the Colour.
The event, which has been an official celebration of the monarch's birthday for more than 260 years, features a parade that begins at Buckingham Palace and then travels along the flag-decorated Mall to the Horse Guards Parade, a ceremonial arms near St. James's Park, then returns to the palace.
Once the king arrives at the Horse Guards Parade, he inspects the troops, who will be wearing the ceremonial uniform of red tunics and bearskin hats. The celebration also includes a 41-gun salute in Green Park.
The parade is expected to include about 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians and 200 horses, including three from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment that escaped and was injured in April during a rehearsal.