A year of health struggles have characterized 2024 for Princess Kate as she stepped out of the public eye to undergo abdominal surgery in January, leading to the announcement in March that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing a course of preventive chemotherapy.
So far this year, the princess has made only two official public appearances, both taking place over the summer.
In June, Kate was present at the Trooping the Colour celebrations for King Charles III‘s’ official birthday in London. The event was her first public engagement of the year and the first since her cancer announcement.
The second appearance was in July, where as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Kate was present at the Wimbledon men’s singles tennis final with her daughter Princess Charlotte and her sister, Pippa Matthews.
Will Warr/The Prince and Princess of Wales
Prior to her June appearance, Kate gave an update on her chemotherapy treatment, saying that though it would continue for a number of months and she was not yet out “out of the woods.” She hoped to begin undertaking more work from home in addition to her appearances, she said.
On September 9, Kate issued a second, more in-depth update, happily explaining that she had completed her course of treatment and was focused now on staying “cancer free.”
Fans eager to see more of Kate as she begins to make further progress in her recovery received the news that she is “looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months.”
While any small appearances or engagements are likely to be announced at short notice, to allow Kate to determine how she feels at the time, there are two large-scale royal celebrations coming up that fans will likely see the princess take part in next.
Remembrance Sunday
Each November, members of the British royal family come together along with members of the government and armed forces to commemorate and honor the men and women who lost their lives in the service of their country on active duty.
Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday of each November in Britain, close to Armistice Day (November 11), which was the day the fighting during World War I ended.
The day is marked in London with a special ceremony at the national war memorial in Whitehall, known as the Cenotaph. Charles, Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward each lay wreaths of poppies at the base of the Cenotaph during a religious service, along with members of the government and high ranking military officials.
Queen Camilla, Kate and other female and non-serving members of the royal family watch the proceedings from the balconies of nearby government buildings.
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Kate has attended the events across several years during her marriage, and it is one of the major ceremonial fixtures of the royal calendar.
Kate will reportedly take part in this year’s proceedings.
Christmas Carols
Another major upcoming royal ceremonial fixture of the year, is the annual Christmas carol service held at Westminster Abbey each December.
Kate founded the service in 2021 as a way of bringing people together and recognizing those who had contributed to national life during the COVID pandemic.
The service featured musical performances and readings from high-profile celebrities and is filmed and broadcast on Christmas Eve in Britain.
Several members of the extended royal family have attended the service over the past three years. In 2022, the event was dedicated to the memory of Queen Elizabeth II and was attended by Charles and Camilla.
The event is expected to go ahead this year, with Kate maintaining her role spearheading the theme and direction.
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James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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