Princess Kate appeared to well up with tears over the weekend during rare public appearances in honor of Britain’s war dead in a year when she had chemotherapy for cancer.
The Princess of Wales said in an emotional message in March that “cancer had been present” in her body at the time of abdominal surgery in January.
And she has taken months off work in 2024 as a result, performing just a handful of royal engagements over the past 10 months, her first in June.
The weekend, when Britain paid tribute to its war dead through moving services of remembrance, marked the first time this year she has attended two events on consecutive days.
The first was the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday November 9—and fans spotted her seeming to become emotional, tightening her lips as she applauded.
One clip—posted with the message “The Princess of Wales gets emotional during the Remembrance Festival”—went viral on TikTok, being liked 11,000 times and viewed 174,000 times.
One fan replied: “Such a beautiful and compassionate woman,” while another said: “I hope she gets better soon she’s obviously still very fragile at the moment.”
Kate looked overcome with emotion again on Remembrance Sunday, November 10, when she joined Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, to watch the national service at the Cenotaph war memorial in central London from the balcony of the U.K. Foreign Office.
King Charles III and Prince William both laid wreaths during the moving service, which Queen Camilla missed owing to a chest infection. The 77-year-old had been expected to attend both the Royal Albert Hall event on Saturday and the Cenotaph on Sunday but pulled out.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s remembrance events.
“While this is a source of great disappointment to the Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week.”
Camilla’s bout of ill health is the latest moment in a difficult year for health for the royal family.
Kate had abdominal surgery in January for an undisclosed issue which was not originally thought to be cancerous.
However, she revealed in March: “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition was noncancerous.
“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
Kate wrapped up her course of chemotherapy in September but is yet to return to full-time royal duties.
She said in September: “Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.
“I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.
“Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.”
Jack Royston is Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.
The post Princess Kate Getting ‘Emotional’ at Remembrance Events Caught on Camera appeared first on Newsweek.
