Princess Kate set to join King Charles for Commonwealth Day service in days as Duchess Sophie to miss it
Both Kate and Charles missed it last yearPrincess Kate looks set to return to the huge Commonwealth Day service next Monday after missing it last year due to her cancer battle.
Last year, Kate stepped away from her royal duties while she underwent treatment for her cancer. But in January, she announced she was finally in remission and would begin returning to work.
Over the last few months she has been making more public appearances, especially over the busy Christmas period. But on March 10, she is set for a huge comeback at the Commonwealth Day service, alongside King Charles.
Princess Kate to attend Commonwealth Day service
According to reports, Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Kate is set to attend the day of celebration at Westminster Abbey on March 10. Not only her, but it will also mark King Charles‘ return after his own cancer battle last year. He took some time away to focus on his health.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 nations with King Charles at the ceremonial head of the network, which aims to improve the lives of its citizens.
Kate isn’t the only royal in attendance, as the day sees a group of them all coming together to celebrate the Commonwealth.
Royals in attendance will include Prince William, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester.
Each year the Commonwealth takes on different themes. And this year’s is “Together We Thrive”. The 2000 guests will commemorate “the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth family,” a statement said.
However while this year marks Kate’s return to the Commonwealth Day service, two royals are missing out.
Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward to miss Commonwealth Day service
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will not attend the annual service this year. Buckingham Palace confirmed their absence.
This is purely because Sophie and Edward are set to travel to New York and will therefore be unavailable for the huge event.
Monday also marks Prince Edward’s 61st birthday which contributes to their absence. The pair will be celebrating his birthday in New York, while Sophie undertakes royal duties there.
While there are plenty other royals in attendance, both the duke and duchess are notably key members of the working royal family and so their failure to show up is likely to be noted.
Sophie and Edward took on their current titles back in March 2023. Since then the pair have been hugely involved with a number of royal events throughout each year.
Princess Kate’s cancer battle was tough for her and William
Kate missed a few key events last year due to her cancer treatment. Both William and Kate struggled through the hard few months after her diagnosis.
Jason Knauf, the former chief executive of William and Kate’s Royal Foundation, recently spoke about their cancer discovery.
Speaking with 60 minutes Australia, Jason said: “Within a couple of weeks, if you were Prince William, you find out that both your wife and father have cancer. I couldn’t believe it.”
How Prince William supported Princess Kate through cancer battle
The Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis publicly in March 2024. She then underwent treatment and stepped back from her royal duties.
In January 2025, Kate announced the news that she's now in remission. Throughout 2024, William supported his wife both publicly and behind the scenes.
How Prince William supported Princess Kate during cancer
At the time of Kate's public announcement confirming her diagnosis, a source claimed that William "fully supported" her decision to share it publicly. They added that William was "extremely proud" at her "courage and strength".
According to reports, the Prince of Wales took on the school run duties as well as cheering their children on from the sidelines during school activities as Kate underwent treatment.
He then continued to juggle his royal duties with looking after his family. He also supported Kate when she made a few public appearances, including Trooping the Colour in June 2024.
Kate on 'incredibly tough' time as a family
In September, Kate shared she had completed her chemotherapy treatment. It came after the family’s summer break.
Kate said on Instagram: "The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family.
"This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved."
In November 2024, William opened up about the "brutal" year as he admitted it was one of the "hardest" of his life.
During a solo trip to South Africa at the time, the prince admitted: "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 brutal."
As for how the Prince of Wales coped, Jason admitted: “It was absolutely awful. Absolutely awful. It was the lowest I have ever seen him.
“The problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background online. But they didn’t want to say that she had cancer because they hadn’t told the children. They were still working through how to tell the children.”
Read more: Royal family’s Twitter page sparks ‘hacking’ fears with cryptic message: ‘What’s going on?’
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