Princess Kate makes return to royal duties with first engagement since announcing end of chemotherapy

Princess Kate has made a return to royal duties with her first engagement since announcing the end of her chemotherapy treatment.

The Princess of Wales stepped back from public duties at the beginning of this year when Kensington Palace announced she had been hospitalised for an operation.

Kate, 42, underwent major abdominal surgery, and two months later announced she had been diagnosed with a form of cancer.

In March, the princess announced via a video message she was starting chemotherapy treatment and would continue to recuperate in private.

During this time, Kate made only two public appearances – once at Trooping the Colour and the other at the Wimbledon Men’s Final with Princess Charlotte and her sister Pippa Matthews.

In September, the mother-of-three released a second video – this time to announce the end of her chemotherapy treatment and that she would be returning to a few royal duties in the upcoming months.

Today, the Court Circular included a meeting held by the Princess of Wales at Windsor.

The entry reads as follows: “The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron, The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this afternoon held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle.”

This is the first meeting that has been noted in the Court Circular since the princess began her treatment earlier this year.

Kensington Palace has not added any further details, and it is not yet known when Kate will return to full-time schedule of public engagements.

In June 2021, Kate launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

The project aims to drive awareness of the impact of the early years, in order to transform society for the future.

She later launched “Shaping Us” in 2022 as a response to a survey where only 17 per cent of the UK population identified the period between pregnancy and the age of five as the most important period for shaping a child’s future.

Shaping Us is set to be a “long-term public awareness campaign designed to transform the issue from one of scientific interest to one of the most strategically important topics of our time”, according to the Royal Foundation website.

Also today, Kate’s husband, Prince William, carried out a private visit to 22 Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment.

The Prince of Wales met individuals who have been deployed on recent operations.