After almost six months away from public-facing duties as she undergoes “preventative chemotherapy” for cancer, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, made her return to the spotlight. The mother-of-three attended the annual Trooping the Colour event on Saturday, June 15. Unsurprisingly, the internet certainly took notice, sharing their thoughts and reactions to the public royal reunion.
The event, celebrating the official birthday of King Charles III, culminated in the Princess, along with the Prince of Wales and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis watching the flypast performed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Middleton released a personal message on Friday, ahead of the event, stating her intention to attend. It marks the Princess of Wales’ first official public-facing attendance since the Christmas Day celebration in December 2023 in Sandringham.
Though the royal stated she is “not out of the woods yet,” regarding her diagnosis of cancer following a planned abdominal surgery earlier this year, she said she is making good progress. Middleton had missed The Colonel’s Review, the final rehearsal for the King’s Birthday Parade, the week before, on June 8.
“I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty,” Middleton wrote in the personal message shared on June 14. “Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal.”
Middleton’s absence from public life earlier this year was the subject of much speculation, and even conspiracy theories, about her health and whereabouts, so her attendance at Saturday’s parade was met with much interest on the internet.
Social media users on X (formerly Twitter) noted how Middleton looked in her monochromatic dress and hat, as well as the cheers from onlookers along as she rode by in a carriage.
Royal enthusiasts also watched on for the Prince and Princess of Wales’ children, as the Trooping the Colour is one of the few events in which the entire family is seen together. They particularly noted the silly antics of Prince Louis, 6, who danced to the tune of the some 400 musicians marching in the parade.
Elsewhere, viewers noticed how Princess Charlotte, 9, subtly told her younger brother how to properly stand during the British national anthem, “God Save The King.”
Prince Louis has been known to steal the show at ceremonial events. In May 2023, Louis was notably seen yawning, waving, and generally looking quite uninspired during his grandfather’s coronation, going viral for his antics. He was previously meme-ified for his hilarious faces during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, even sticking his tongue out at his mother.
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