Kate, Princess of Wales, says she’s ‘not out of the woods’ in health update – as royal releases new picture
The Princess of Wales has said she is “not out of the woods yet” and has “a few more months” of cancer treatment to go, as she gave an update on her health.
Kate also said she would attend a public engagement tomorrow.
She has been undergoing treatment, including chemotherapy, since being diagnosed with an unspecified type of the disease earlier this year.
In a statement released today, she said she is “making good progress” but has “good days and bad days”.
The statement is accompanied by a new photograph of Kate.
“On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting,” she said. “On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.”
Kate confirmed she will attend the King’s birthday parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, with her family in London tomorrow.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King is “delighted the princess is able to attend” and “much looking forward to all elements of the day”.
It is understood Kate’s attendance at the event is not to be taken as a return to full public duties.
“[I] hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet,” Kate continued in her statement.
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Princess of Wales’s statement in full
Kate was photographed surrounded by nature in the grounds at Windsor. Pic: Matt Porteous.
“I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty. Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Kate’s update would be “especially meaningful to those who are fighting cancer and for their families”.
“They will recognise the same struggle in her words and draw hope and inspiration from her strength,” he added, saying the “whole country is behind her”.
This will be the princess’s first public engagement since December 2023 when she joined the rest of the Royal Family at the annual Christmas Day church service at Sandringham.
Kate with Prince George and Prince Louis on Christmas Day 2023. Pic. AP
She was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery on 16 January and the operation was made public the following day, when Kensington Palace said she was recovering.
The palace kept details of Kate’s health private in the months that followed.
A picture of Kate with her three children was released to mark Mother’s Day on 10 March – but the snap sparked a photo editing controversy which fuelled online speculation about the princess’s health.
Kate shared her cancer diagnosis with the public on 22 March.
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March: Kate reveals she’s having cancer treatment
At the time, in a pre-recorded video message, she said her planned abdominal surgery in January was successful and while it was initially thought her condition was non-cancerous, tests found cancer had been present.
She then began receiving treatment, including chemotherapy, which started in February, and was recovering in private.
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The Prince of Wales has attended engagements solo since April and given a handful of updates on Kate while meeting with the public.
In May, he said Kate was “doing well” and earlier this month, he told a D-Day veteran she would have “loved” to attend the 80th anniversary commemorations in France.
Sir Keir Starmer will attend Armistice Day commemorations in France on Monday – the first UK leader to do so since Winston Churchill in the Second World War.
Towns and cities across France will mark the 106th anniversary of the Armistice agreement in 1918 that brought fighting in the First World War to an end.
Sir Keir will attend the events at the personal invitation of President Emmanuel Macron and the pair will join British and French veterans and the public in paying tribute to the fallen.
It comes as the prime minister announces more than £10m to mark the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day in the UK next year.
Sir Keir Starmer lays a wreath on Sunday. Pic: PA
Sir Keir is expected to lay a wreath at Paris war memorials close to the Champ-Elysees, and also at the Arc de Triomphe’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a national symbol for all those who have died for France in war.
The prime minister said: “I am honoured to be in Paris to stand united with President Macron in tribute to the fallen of the First World War who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today.
“These events are vital in ensuring the memory of millions of young soldiers, sailors, and aviators live on for generations to come.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Sir Keir and President Macron will also have talks ahead of the commemorations to discuss issues like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
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Princess of Wales at Remembrance Sunday
On Sunday, Remembrance events were held across the UK as the nation paid tribute to those who have served in the armed forces past and present.
King Charles, who is still receiving cancer treatment, paid his respects without the Queen, who did not attend events in central London due to a chest infection.
He appeared alongside his son Prince William and daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, who carried out two consecutive public engagements for the first time this year after her cancer treatment ended.
The King led the nation’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations as he laid a wreath at the Cenotaph during a two-minute silence.
Charles, who is still receiving cancer treatment, paid his respects without the Queen, who did not attend events in central London due to a chest infection.
He appeared alongside his son Prince William and daughter-in-law, Kate, Princess of Wales, who carried out two consecutive public engagements for the first time this year after her cancer treatment ended.
Sunday was the King’s third Remembrance service as monarch.
King Charles at the Cenotaph on Sunday. Pic: PA
The King waits to lay his wreath. Pic: PA
Catherine, Princess of Wales on the balcony. Pic: PA
The Prince of Wales during the Remembrance Sunday service. Pic: PA
The Princess of Wales (left) and the Duchess of Edinburgh watch from the balcony. Pic: PA
Members of the Royal Family stand before the Cenotaph. Pic: PA
The Royal British Legion’s veteran parade along Whitehall featured 10,000 veterans from 326 different armed forces and civil organisations.
Similar memorial events took place in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, as well as smaller towns and cities.
Politicians from the four nations laid wreaths in capital cities, while veterans and their families also gathered for events in Portsmouth, the home of this year’s D-Day anniversary commemorations, and the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Veterans in Portsmouth on Sunday. Pic: PA
People gather at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire. Pic: PA
Thousand of people, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and eight of his predecessors, watched as the nation fell silent at 11am.
Among the former leaders were Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Lord David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Sir Tony Blair, and Sir John Major.
Kemi Badenoch, the new Conservative Party leader, also laid a wreath alongside the prime minister.
Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch lay wreaths on Sunday. Pic: PA
Lord David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Sir Tony Blair, and Sir John Major. Pic: PA
On Saturday evening, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, along with the King.
Hours beforehand, Buckingham Palace announced Queen Camilla would not be attending either of the Remembrance events. It is understood there is no cause for concern but that doctors did not want to hinder her recovery or put anyone else at risk.
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Princess of Wales at Remembrance Sunday
Members of the RAF Pipes and Drums band in Edinburgh. Pic: PA
First Minister Michelle ONeill lays a wreath at Belfast City Hall. Pic: PA
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings of the Second World War and the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo.
It also marks the 75th anniversary of NATO and the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between the UK and France.
The UK is ready to fight a war, the head of the armed forces has insisted, after the defence secretary recently suggested the military is not prepared for a conflict.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin also stressed the importance of continuing to back Ukraine when asked about the potential impact of the re-election of Donald Trump on Russia’s war.
He said more than 1,500 Russian troops had been killed or injured in the warzone every day during October. That equates to more than 46,000 people – equivalent to more than half of the British Army.
The Chief of the Defence Staff used the Russian casualty figure to underline the cost to Vladimir Putin of his invasion, but analysts say the Kremlin has proven itself more than capable of absorbing high attrition rates without changing its war aims.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin 2023. Pic: Andrew Milligan/Pool via AP
Admiral Radakin was speaking in an interview on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips to mark Remembrance Sunday.
Asked if the UK could fight a war at scale, he said: “Absolutely. So our servicemen and women will always be ready to serve their nation and to do as the government of the day directs us to do.”
Last month, however, John Healey, the new Labour defence secretary, told a Politico podcast that the armed forces were not ready to fight after being hollowed out and under-funded during 14 years of Conservative rule.
In reality, the hollowing out and under-funding also took place under the previous Labour government.
John Healey joined serving military personnel to hand out poppies at Victoria Station in October. Pic: PA
Pressed by Trevor Phillips on whether the army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had the capabilities to fight a war, Admiral Radakin said: “We do have the capabilities. And then the reassurance is that we do that alongside our allies.
“And for those biggest fights, then we will always do them with our allies.”
He conceded, though, that the UK needs to be “even stronger in the future”.
Admiral Radakin added: “Some of that is about having deeper stockpiles. Some of that is being better at bringing technology and learning the lessons from Ukraine… And some of that is also recognising that you need to have a defence industry that can better support those demands.
“We’re in a more dangerous world.”
Ukrainian troops continue to fight Russia’s invasion. Pic: King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade/Reuters
Russian airstrikes are still targeting Ukrainian cities. Pic: Reuters
The top commander repeatedly stressed the importance of being part of NATO to be able to counter the biggest threats faced by the UK.
But the re-election of Donald Trump to the White House has raised new concerns about US support for the transatlantic alliance. The United States is by far its most powerful member.
Pic: AP
The president-elect threatened to quit NATO when he was US commander-in-chief the first time around, and he has repeatedly berated member states that do not meet a minimum spending commitment of 2% of national income.
Mr Trump is also expected to take a different approach to the war in Ukraine to Joe Biden, saying he will end the fighting – but without yet explaining how.
Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire at Russian positions from a US-supplied M777 howitzer in Kharkiv region. File pic: AP
The aftermath of a Russian strike on Ukraine. Pic: AP
Trevor Phillips asked Admiral Radakin how confident he was that the United States would continue to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine.
The defence chief declined to speculate on potential US policy so soon after the election.
Instead, he said: “What you’re seeing is a Russia that is making tactical gains and is seizing more territory, but is doing that at enormous cost, enormous cost in terms of its soldiers – over 1,500 people a day are either killed or wounded in October.”
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Admiral Radakin also pointed out how the war prompted NATO to grow, with Finland and Sweden joining.
“At the strategic level, Russia is losing,” he said.
“Russia wanted to subjugate Ukraine. It’s never going to subjugate Ukraine.
“And that’s what we should be really clear about – that we continue our support for President Zelenskyy and his people in their existential fight.”
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