On Saturday, Kate Middleton made a public appearance on behalf of the British royal family at the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, marking her fourth official outing this year. For the event, the Princess of Wales wore a black wrap dress with long sleeves and a V-neckline.
She accessorized with a Nura pearl necklace from the Monica Vinader collection and a pair of pearl and diamond drop earrings from Collingwood once belonging to the late Princess Diana. She had on semi-sheer black stockings, black pumps, and wore the red poppy pin in her lapel meant to symbolize veterans and fallen soldiers.
Kate was accompanied by her husband, Prince William, as well as King Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne. The Festival honors the British Armed Forces and this is also the 80th anniversary of D-Day’ ceremonies will culminate on Remembrance Sunday at The Cenotaph in London. The Princess is recently recovered from her chemotherapy treatment, which makes her return to the solemn occasion especially meaningful.
William returned to the U.K. this week from a visit to Cape Town, South Africa, where he was attending the Earthshot Prize, a climate science award ceremony. On Nov. 7, his last day in the country, he opened up about how Kate’s cancer diagnosis effected him in a candid interview shared by People.
“It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life,” the Prince of Wales stated. “So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult…But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
After being asked about the Princess of Wales, William stated she is “doing well.”
He was told he looked relaxed by a reporter and responded, “I couldn’t be less relaxed this year, so it’s very interesting you’re all seeing that…But it’s more a case of just crack on and you’ve got to keep going. I enjoy my work and I enjoy pacing myself and keeping sure that I have got time for my family, too.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.