United Kingdom royal Kate Middleton made her first public appearance since announcing in March she is battling cancer.
The princess of Wales, as she is officially known, appeared at the “Trooping the Colour” on Saturday, an annual military parade held in central London to mark King Charles’s birthday.
The princess, whose husband Prince William is the heir apparent to the throne, was dressed in all white and stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the proceedings.
She also joined her children – Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte – in a carriage during the parade portion of the event.
In a message released on Friday, the royal said she was making “good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days”.
“On those bad days, you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.”
She added that she’s “not out of the woods yet”.
Cancer diagnosis
The 42-year-old last appeared in public in December when she joined other senior royals for an annual Christmas Day church service.
Three months later, as speculation grew over her absence from public view, Kate announced she had been diagnosed with cancer following abdominal surgery and had begun preventive chemotherapy.
Kensington Palace declined to give further details about the type of cancer or her treatment.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the public appearance was “tremendously significant” as Kate and her children represent “the future of the monarchy”.
He noted King Charles, 75, also present at Saturday’s event, has also been battling his own cancer diagnosis.
“Charles is himself fighting cancer,” Fitzwilliams said. “He’s done remarkably well recently and appeared at a large number of engagements.”
Saturday’s event represented a bright spot for the royal family, which has contended with turmoil in recent years.
That included the 2022 death of Queen Elizabeth II and a deep family rift surrounding the 2020 decision by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to abandon their royal duties.