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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.

Kate’s message is full of positive news – but comes with caveats

As the speculation about Kate’s health had again started to build – along with rumours about whether she would be at Trooping the Colour – this will be seen as positive news from a woman, who like every other cancer patient, has clearly been going through a tough time.

Let’s start with the good news. We will see Kate at the King’s birthday parade tomorrow.

It’s a huge occasion for the Royal Family, where we’re almost guaranteed to see Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

As their mother, it is clear Kate wants to be with them and that’s why she won’t just appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony but will be in a carriage alongside her children to watch the military parade, before making an appearance for the traditional flypast.

Read Rhiannon’s analysis in full

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.

Read more:
Princess of Wales’s statement in full

Kate was pictured surrounded by nature. Pic: Matt Porteous.
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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.

King Charles III, Kate, the Princess of Wales, from right, Prince Louis, and Prince George at the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. Pic: AP Photo/Kin Cheung
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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.

What will happen tomorrow?

Trooping the Colour will officially begin at 10.30am when the Royal Family leaves Buckingham Palace as part of the procession to Horse Guards Parade.

It is understood William will be on horseback while Kate will travel with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in a state carriage.

The King will arrive at Horse Guards for the Royal Salute at 11am, when a 41-gun salute will be fired from the nearby Green Park.

The royals will then travel back to the palace where the family will gather on the balcony to watch an RAF fly past at 1pm.

It’s understood Kate will join her family on the balcony – though plans could change at short notice depending on her wellbeing.

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.

Read more:
William to cheer on England at Euros
Kate ‘extremely moved’ by public support

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.

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UK on ‘slippery slope’ to ‘death on demand’, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warns ahead of assisted dying vote

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UK on 'slippery slope' to 'death on demand', Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warns ahead of assisted dying vote

The UK is on a “slippery slope towards death on demand”, according to the justice secretary ahead of a historic Commons vote on assisted dying.

In a letter to her constituents, Shabana Mahmood said she was “profoundly concerned” about the legislation.

“Sadly, recent scandals – such as Hillsborough, infected blood and the Post Office Horizon – have reminded us that the state and those acting on its behalf are not always benign,” she wrote.

“I have always held the view that, for this reason, the state should serve a clear role. It should protect and preserve life, not take it away.

“The state should never offer death as a service.”

Analysis: Justice secretary’s intervention is potentially embarrassing for the PM

On 29 November, MPs will be asked to consider whether to legalise assisted dying, through Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Details of the legislation were published last week, including confirmation the medicine that will end a patient’s life will need to be self-administered and people must be terminally ill and expected to die within six months.

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Minister ‘leans’ to assisted dying bill

Ms Mahmood, however, said “predictions about life expectancy are often inaccurate”.

“Doctors can only predict a date of death, with any real certainty, in the final days of life,” she said. “The judgment as to who can and cannot be considered for assisted suicide will therefore be subjective and imprecise.”

Read more: Gordon Brown says assisted dying should not be legalised

Under the Labour MP’s proposals, two independent doctors must confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge must give their approval.

The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law, including coercing someone into ending their own life.

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Details of end of life bill released

Read more: Where does the cabinet stand on assisted dying?

However, Ms Mahmood said she was concerned the legislation could “pressure” some into ending their lives.

“It cannot be overstated what a profound shift in our culture assisted suicide will herald,” she wrote.

“In my view, the greatest risk of all is the pressure the elderly, vulnerable, sick or disabled may place upon themselves.”

Kim Leadbeater waits to present the Assisted Dying Bill. File pic: House of Commons/Reuters
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Kim Leadbeater waits to present the Assisted Dying Bill. File pic: House of Commons/Reuters

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who put forward the bill, said some of the points Ms Mahmood raised have been answered “in the the thorough drafting and presentation of the bill”.

“The strict eligibility criteria make it very clear that we are only talking about people who are already dying,” she said.

“That is why the bill is called the ‘Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’; its scope cannot be changed and clearly does not include any other group of people.

“The bill would give dying people the autonomy, dignity and choice to shorten their death if they wish.”

In response to concerns Ms Mahmood raised about patients being coerced into choosing assisted death, Ms Leadbeater said she has consulted widely with doctors and judges.

“Those I have spoken to tell me that they are well equipped to ask the right questions to detect coercion and to ascertain a person’s genuine wishes. It is an integral part of their work,” she said.

In an increasingly fractious debate around the topic, multiple Labour MPs have voiced their concerns.

In a letter to ministers on 3 October, the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case confirmed “the prime minister has decided to set aside collective responsibility on the merits of this bill” and that the government would “therefore remain neutral on the passage of the bill and on the matter of assisted dying”.

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Justice secretary’s assisted dying intervention is explosive – and potentially embarrassing for PM

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Justice secretary's assisted dying intervention is explosive - and potentially embarrassing for PM

With six days to go before Friday’s historic Commons showdown on assisted dying, it’s the opponents who are turning up the heat.

The explosive attack on the bill by Shabana Mahmood follows the poignant and personal plea from Gordon Brown to MPs to reject the bill.

We knew the justice secretary is opposed to the bill. She has already made that clear. But her attack on it, in a letter to constituents, is brutal.

Read more: UK on ‘slippery slope’ to ‘death on demand’, warns justice secretary

She talks about a “slippery slope towards death on demand”. Savage. The state should “never offer death as a service”, she says. Chilling.

So much for Sir Keir Starmer attempting to cool the temperature in the row by urging cabinet ministers, whatever their view, to stop inflaming or attempting to influence the debate.

Ms Mahmood talks, as other opponents have, about pressure on the elderly, sick or disabled who feel they have “become too much of a burden to their family”.

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Details of end of life bill released

She hits out at a “lack of legal safeguards” in the bill and pressure on someone into ending their life “by those acting with malign intent”.

Malign intent? Hey! That’s quite an assertion from a secretary of state for justice and lord chancellor who’s been urged by the PM to tone down her language.

It’s claimed that Sir Keir ticked off Wes Streeting, the health secretary, after he publicly opposed the bill and launched an analysis of the costs of implementing it.

Read more: Where does the cabinet stand on assisted dying?

Will the justice secretary now receive a reprimand from the boss? It’s a bit late for that. Critics will also claim Sir Keir’s dithering over the bill is to blame for cabinet ministers freelancing.

Shabana Mahmood is the first elected Muslim woman to hold a cabinet post. Elected to the Commons in 2010, she was also one of the first Muslim women MPs.

She told her constituents in her letter that it’s not only for religious reasons that she’s “profoundly concerned” about the legislation, but also because of what it would mean for the role of the state.

But of course, she’s not the only senior politician with religious convictions to speak out strongly against Kim Leadbeater’s bill this weekend.

Gordon Brown. File pic: PA
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Gordon Brown. File pic: PA

Gordon Brown, son of the manse, who was strongly influenced by his father, a Church of Scotland minister, wrote about his opposition in a highly emotional article in The Guardian.

He spoke about the pain of losing his 10-day-old baby daughter Jennifer, born seven weeks prematurely and weighing just 2lb 4oz, in January 2002, after she suffered a brain haemorrhage on day four of her short life.

Read more: Gordon Brown says assisted dying should not be legalised

Mr Brown said that tragedy convinced him of the value and imperative of good end-of-life care, not the case for assisted dying. His powerful voice will strongly influence many Labour MPs.

And what of Kim Leadbeater? It’s looking increasingly as though she’s now being hung out to dry by the government, after initially being urged by the government to choose assisted dying after topping the private members bill ballot.

All of which will encourage Sir Keir’s critics to claim he looks weak. It is, or course, a private members bill and a free vote, which makes the outcome on Friday unpredictable.

But the dramatic interventions of the current lord chancellor and the former Labour prime minister are hugely significant, potentially decisive – and potentially embarrassing for a prime minister who appears to be losing control of the assisted dying debate.

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Max Verstappen wins Formula One world title for a fourth straight year

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Max Verstappen wins Formula One world title for a fourth straight year

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has won the Formula One world title for a fourth straight year.

His victory was confirmed after finishing fifth at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Mercedes’ George Russell won the race.

Max Verstappen celebrates his win. Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

The 27-year-old Dutchman becomes just the sixth driver in Formula One history to win four titles or more, after outscoring Lando Norris who took the chequered flag in only sixth.

Verstappen is now guaranteed the world crown with two races still remaining, with his domination cementing his name among Formula One’s greats.

“Oh my God man,” said an emotional Verstappen after securing the world title. “What a season. Four times. It was a little bit more difficult than last year.”

Lewis Hamilton raced back from 10th to second place to complete an impressive one-two finish for Mercedes. Carlos Sainz finished third for Ferrari, one place ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Russell’s third victory was the most dominant of his career so far, crossing the line 7.3 seconds clear of Hamilton.

More on Formula 1

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have each won a record seven, with 1950s Argentine legend Juan-Manuel Fangio on five ahead of Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and now Verstappen on four.

Having won every Drivers’ Championship since claiming his first in the controversial end to the 2021 season when he beat Hamilton in deeply contentious circumstances, Verstappen now joins Hamilton, Fangio and Vettel in winning four titles consecutively.

Only Schumacher has achieved a run of five.

Red Bull's principal sponsor Christian Horner on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Pic: Reuters
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Red Bull’s principal sponsor Christian Horner on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Pic: Reuters

The team were hit by controversy earlier this season, with Red Bull’s principal sponsor, Christian Horner, facing allegations of controlling behaviour by a female staff member. Horner, who denied the accusations, was cleared, and a subsequent appeal was thrown out.

Horner congratulated Verstappen on the radio, telling him: “Max Verstappen you are a four-time world champion. That is a phenomenal, phenomenal achievement. You can be incredibly proud of yourself.”

Red Bull is on course to finish third in the constructors’ championship this year. This century only Hamilton in 2008 with McLaren, and Verstappen in 2021, have won the drivers’ title when their team did not win the constructors’ championship.

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