Royal return
Smiling Kate appears in public after half a year
Kate and Prince Louis arrive at the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Guards Parade, where King Charles III celebrates his official birthday. Photo
© Yui Mok/PA/dpa
It is the royal appearance of the year: around two and a half months after her cancer diagnosis was announced, Kate is attending an official event again. But everyday life is still a long way off.
She’s back: For the first time in almost half a year, Princess Kate has appeared in public again. With a beaming smile, in a white suit with a black and white bow and matching hat, the 42-year-old, who is being treated for cancer, appeared on Saturday at the “Trooping the Colour” parade. The traditional parade of numerous soldiers in guard uniforms and bearskin hats is the official birthday parade for King Charles III. Kate’s father-in-law.
The newspaper “Telegraph” compared the participation of Catherine Middleton, her birth name, with the comeback of a rock star: The “Catherine-sized hole” in the royal family has been filled again and the wife of heir to the throne Prince William is “where she belongs,” the paper wrote. The 42-year-old is considered the most popular member of the royal family and, above all, a link to the younger generation.
The appearance was eagerly awaited. Kate had only surprisingly announced her participation on Friday evening. Now she was seen at an official event for the first time since Christmas. The future queen had an abdominal operation in January, and at the end of March she announced that she had cancer, without giving any further details.
Good mood among the Royals
Together with her three children Prince George (10), Princess Charlotte (9) and Prince Louis (6), Kate was driven in a closed carriage the short distance from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guards Parade parade ground. All four were in good spirits and waved to onlookers, as a reporter from the German Press Agency observed.
Spectators along the Mall were excited about Kate’s return. How did she look? “I think she did pretty well,” said a 34-year-old wearing a large Union Jack hat who had traveled from Belgium to the dpa. “But it’s a poker face, I think.” Because no one knows how she’s really doing? “Yes. But it’s very nice to see her here at the parade.”
In her message on Friday evening, Kate made it clear that she was not out of the woods yet. She was still receiving treatment and had good days and bad days. Saturday seemed like a good day.
“It’s fantastic, I’m proud to be British,” said a woman from Sheffield in northern England who had already secured a seat in the front row that morning. But she was still glad that Kate was wearing a hat to shield her face a little. “Because she needs privacy, and I think it’s incredibly brave and dutiful that she did this here.” As a young mother who is going through a lot, Kate deserves some privacy.
No normal everyday life in sight
The return to public life is not a return to a daily routine with daily appointments, receptions or even travel. Whether and when Kate will make further “official outings” will be decided calmly and in close consultation with her doctors.
In contrast to his daughter-in-law, Charles, who is also being treated for cancer, has been attending official appointments again for several weeks and recently even traveled to France for the D-Day commemoration. On Saturday, Charles and his wife Queen Camilla were also driven to the parade ground in a carriage. The monarch watched the procession sitting on a covered platform. Last year, he had watched the ceremony from horseback.
Critical voices against monarchy
This time, heir to the throne William and Charles’ siblings Princess Anne and Prince Edward were in the saddle. Kate and her children watched the parade from a balcony. Prince Louis, who is known for his grimaces, was in a particularly good mood and danced to the marching music.
After a rain shower, large puddles were visible on the sandy parade ground. The sun came out just in time for the parade – but at the end it poured down again on soldiers and onlookers.
The name “Trooping the Colour” refers to the presentation of the flags of the participating regiment, also known as the “colour”. The ceremony probably originated during the reign of King Charles II (1660 – 1685). In 1748 it was decided that the parade would celebrate the King’s official birthday.
But there was not only cheering for the royals along the route. Near Buckingham Palace, members of the Republic organisation demonstrated for the abolition of the monarchy. On yellow flags they demanded “Down with the crown” and emphasised: “Not my king”.