Royal Family Returns to Public Eye for King’s Official Birthday Amid Health Battles

The Princess of Wales, alongside her husband William and their children George, Charlotte, and Louis, stood with King Charles and Queen Camilla, waving to a cheering crowd during a Royal Air Force flypast. Earlier, Kate and her children were seen in a state carriage traveling from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade for the Trooping the Colour celebration. Notably, she wore an Irish Guards regimental brooch, honoring her role as their honorary colonel.

This appearance was Kate’s first since Christmas Day, preceding her January withdrawal from public duties for surgery on a non-cancerous abdominal condition. In March, she revealed her cancer diagnosis post-surgery and has since been undergoing treatment. Despite her ongoing recovery, she updated the public on Friday, stating she had made “good progress” but still had months of treatment ahead.

King Charles III, also undergoing cancer treatment, participated in the event in a carriage rather than on horseback. The 75-year-old King resumed public duties in April after showing encouraging progress in his treatment.

The Trooping the Colour event, a highlight of the royal calendar for over 260 years, featured 1,400 officers and soldiers, 400 musicians, and 200 horses parading from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade. Despite the celebratory atmosphere, the event concluded with heavy rain and gusty winds, challenging the gathered crowds.

Spectators included both royal enthusiasts and anti-royalists, the latter voicing their dissent with chants of “shame” and “not my king.” Nevertheless, the event proceeded smoothly, with King Charles conducting his review of troops from an Ascot landau carriage.

The celebration also marked the return of three British Army horses involved in an incident in April, while two others remained on a break in the Chilterns, set to return to service later.