Beaming Kate & William take seats at Festival of Remembrance next to Charles & Anne in her 1st major event since chemo

KATE Middleton is beaming tonight at her first major royal event since finishing chemotherapy.

The Princess of Wales, 42, has joined husband Prince William for the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

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Kate and William clap as the event gets underway[/caption]

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The royals all seen side by side[/caption]

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William and Kate arrive at the ceremony[/caption]

Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Kate has not attended a royal event for eight months[/caption]

The Prince of Wales, also 42, put his hand on his wife’s back as they got out of a car and made their way up the stairs to the main entrance.

Both wearing poppies, they were later seen in conversation after taking their seats next to each other.

Kate was also sporting the late Princess Diana’s earrings, while her poppy pin appeared to be RAF-themed.

She has previously worn a cluster of poppies rather than the single one.

The pair were shortly followed by King Charles, 76 – though he has not been joined by Queen Camilla.

The royal, 77, is continuing to rest up as she recovers from a chest infection following the couple’s tour of Australia.

The waiting crowd outside the Hall stood and applauded as Charles entered to a royal fanfare by state trumpeters of the household division under the direction of Trumpet Major Julian Sandford MVO.

Princess Anne and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, are also among the members of the Firm in attendance.

Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria were snapped arriving.

Kate will go on to appear at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph tomorrow.

It marks a significant step in the brave princess’ return to public duties, having eight months ago revealed she had an undisclosed form of cancer.

In a video released in September, Kate said she had finished her chemotherapy treatment.

She also spoke of how she was “looking forward to being back at work” and taking part in “a few more” engagements in the coming months.

But Kate said her focus remained “doing what I can to stay cancer free”.

The latest public appearance also comes days after Prince William described how 2024 has been “the hardest year in my life”.

But the Prince of Wales insisted he just had to “crack on” with life.

He opened his heart in an interview with UK print media in Cape Town, where he was for the presentation earlier this week of his environmental Earthshot Prize.

William also said his wife was “doing really well” and has been “amazing this whole year”.

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Kate makes her way up the stairs to take her seat holding a black Chanel clutch[/caption]

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King Charles arrived to a fanfare[/caption]

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King Charles and Princess Anne during the event[/caption]

Meanwhile, the Queen’s attendance over the weekend is understood to be subject to medical advice.

Camilla, 77, is unwell with a chest infection and was forced to pull out of engagements earlier this week.

She is still resting at her Wiltshire home Raymill.

Kate’s last public engagement was last month, when she made a surprise trip to meet families of the Southport knife attack victims.

At the start of October, she was also pictured hugging an aspiring teenage photographer with a rare and aggressive form of cancer – after inviting her to take photos at Windsor Castle.

Liz Hatton, 16, from Harrogate, and her family privately met with Kate and WIlliam after the Investiture ceremony.

In June, Kate looked relaxed during her first day in public outing since her diagnosis when she appeared at Trooping the Colour.

A few weeks later she made another rare appearance when she presented the Wimbledon men’s final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz.

The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance is staged annually on the Saturday evening of Remembrance weekend.

It honours sacrifices made by the British and Commonwealth armed forces community and includes musical performances and personal testimonies.

This year’s festival will showcase the contribution of the World War Two generation 80 years on from the D-Day landings.

It will also commemorate 25 years since Nato peacekeeping forces were deployed in Kosovo and 10 years since the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.

Also attending are Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent will also be in attendance.

AFP

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria attend the ceremony[/caption]

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Princess Anne is among the other royals at the eventKate received a standing ovation as she attended Wimbledon for the men’s final over the summerKate was joined by daughter Charlotte for the tennis[/caption]