On a typical rainy morning in London, Kate Middleton was a ray of sunshine on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, all smiles, and waving at the crowd of onlookers during the annual Trooping the Colour — her first public appearance since revealing her cancer battle.
The band fittingly played “Over the Rainbow” just before Middleton stepped out with her family.
She stood in between her husband, Prince William, and King Charles, as they watched the traditional military flyover, with Princess Charlotte in front of her and sons Prince George, 10, and Prince Louis, 6, close by.
The positioning seemed intentional, and touching, since last year Prince William was standing next to his father.
Having King Charles and Middleton stand next to one another was a “gesture of solidarity and support,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun.
“Let’s be frank. It would have been very stressful to go through with all of the ceremony,” he said. “King Charles and the Princess of Wales knew very well every movement would be photographed that was public.”
Charles announced his own fight against cancer in February. Neither royal has publicly revealed the type of cancer they’re battling.
Middleton appeared stoic, which a body language expert told The Sun was an intentional choice made by the Princess to avoid pity from onlookers and ensure King Charles was the main focus, rather than her illness.
“Kate’s body language here showed the world what being a royal is all about: elegant, calm and stoic with not one smallest jot of self-pity or drama,” said expert Judi James. “Kate’s non-verbal messages seem to signal a smiling determination to reassure the public and her own children and to get on with the job.”
James also said Middleton’s outfit choice also spoke to her desire to downplay her highly anticipated appearance. “There was a hint of discretion or maybe a desire to not upstage in the way Kate’s hat brim was tilted to partially hide her face in the carriage but there were some turning to smile and some smiling conversations with her three children,” she added.
After the Red Arrows shot past the palace, spraying the colors of the Union Jack flag behind them, Middleton and her family waved to the crowd below.
The Princess of Wales attended the splashy military ceremony in honor of King Charles’ birthday after announcing Friday that she was currently well enough to attend.
Middletown, 42, rode in a car alongside her children and husband entering Buckingham Palace before the parade.
She wore a white Jenny Packham dress with a black-striped belt decorated with a black-and-white bow at the collar, topped with a white-brimmed Philip Treacy hat and pearl cluster earrings.
Pinned to her dress was an Irish Guards Regimental Brooch, a nod to her honorary role as a Colonel of the Irish Guards.
Middleton wore her hair in an elegant low braided bun and accessorized with a black Mulberry clutch and white Jimmy Choo heels, completing the outfit with the same $7,100 Cassandra Goad earrings she donned for Prince Louis’ 2018 baptism, and again to Wimbledon in 2023.
Eagle-eyed fashionistas are speculating that Middleton’s outfit is an upcycled version of the look she wore on the eve of King Charles’ coronation last year.
Middleton’s choice of hat this year also spoke to her desire to downplay her highly anticipated appearance, James told The Sun.
“There was a hint of discretion or maybe a desire to not upstage in the way Kate’s hat brim was tilted to partially hide her face in the carriage but there were some turning to smile and some smiling conversations with her three children,” she said.
She and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, coordinated their outfits, as the 9-year-old donned a black pinafore with ivory trim and tie. Prince George and Prince Louis also wore navy, sporting matching double-breasted suits, Louis in shorts, while George was in slacks.
Prince Louis, who is known for his expressive looks during royal events, was spotted yawning and scrunching up his face during the event.
During the procession, Prince George told Middleton, “Look over there ma,” a lip reader told The Sun.
As the Trooping the Colour kicked off, Middleton received a boisterous ovation from thousands of royal fans who lined the Mall route, as she and her three children traveled in a carriage.
King Charles and Queen Camilla led the procession while William rode on horseback.
King Charles, 75, has been undergoing outpatient cancer treatment.
Last weekend, his wife, Queen Camilla, said he is “doing fine except he won’t slow down and won’t do what he’s told,” according to Sky News.
Before her appearance on the balcony with the rest of the royals, Middleton and her children were seen peeking from a window to watch the ceremony at Horse Guards Parade, where she stood for roughly five minutes — at times bending down to speak to the kids — before she was brought a chair.
While they were at the window, Princess Charlotte could be seen asking her younger brother, Prince Louis, to “stop dancing.”
The playful command from his older sister had little effect on Louis, who continued on with his revelry and apparently replied, “Nope!” according to The Mirror.
Charlotte, always a proper little lady, acted like her mom’s “wing-woman,” “protecting and supporting” her, James told The Sun. “Sitting opposite her mother she performed the kind of body language rituals that Kate would normally have done, smiling over her shoulder at the crowds and waving with enthusiasm. Like Kate, her smile was almost constant.”
The official X page of the Prince and Princess of Wales, @KensingtonRoyal, marked the historic event by posting a video of clips taken today of Middleton and her children, including a loving moment where the Princess of Wales is smoothing out Charlotte’s hair.
The post was captioned, “All set for The King’s Birthday Parade!”
Royal supporters — equipped with cardboard cutouts of Middleton — camped overnight to secure their prized spot to see the family appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
In an emotional letter, Middleton admitted she has “good days and bad days” and is “not out of the woods” with the illness.
“On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting,” the princess wrote. “But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.
The last time the mother of three appeared in public was on Christmas Day — shortly before a doctor discovered cancer during a planned abdominal surgery in January.
Middleton first revealed she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer in March as speculation swirled about her recent lack of public appearances.
On Saturday, the time-honored parade featured 1,400 officers and soldiers, 200 horses, along with a Royal Air Force flyover and music from 400 musicians from 10 bands.
Trooping the Colour, where “regimental flags of the British Army, historically described as ‘Colours’, are consecrated,” happens each June regardless of King Charles’ birthday, which falls on November 14.
The ceremony, which was broadcast live on BBC, is thought to have been first performed during the reign of King Charles II, who ruled from 1660 to 1685, and it became an annual event in 1760, after George III became King.
At the 2023 parade, Middleton rode in a horse-drawn carriage and appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with King Charles and other royals.
Middleton did not attend the traditional rehearsal for the parade, called the Colonel’s Review, which took place on June 8.
The Princess, who had been named honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards last year, apologized for her absence from the practice.
“Please pass my apologies to the whole Regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon,” she wrote in an apology letter to the Irish guards who are presenting their colors to the King.
For the second straight year, Middleton’s in-laws, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were not invited to the festivities.
In a case of curious timing, Meghan Markle’s pal unveiled a new flavor of the royal’s jam just hours before Middleton’s triumphant return to the spotlight.
