Kate Middleton Will Make Her Second Post-Chemo Outing Earlier Than Expected

Here are all the details.

After making radiant back-to-back appearances earlier this month for Remembrance Day, many royal onlookers have been anxiously awaiting Princess Kate's next public engagement. And, it turns out, it may be sooner than you think. In addition to hosting her annual Together at Christmas caroling concert at Westminster Abbey on December 6, Kate will be stepping out a few days before then.

This morning Buckingham Palace announced the Princess of Wales will join her husband, Prince William, on December 3 to welcome the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, on the first official day of their two-day state visit to the U.K.

Kate will participate in the state welcome, which traditionally begins at the visiting guests' residence. The greeting is followed by a Ceremonial Welcome at Horse Guards Parade, greetings from King Charles II and Queen Consort Camilla, ceremonial presentations, and a lunch at Buckingham Palace. There, a collection of curated items from the Royal Collection Trust associated with the visiting nation will be displayed, per People.

Day 1 of a state visit is traditionally concluded with a glam banquet, though Kate will not be in attendance at the party. Kate is also not expected to participate in any events on December 4.

A royal source confirmed this information to Harper's Bazaar, saying, Kate is confirmed to attend “some elements of next week’s state visit,” although “she will not attend the State Banquet.”

This marks Kate's second major royal engagement after announcing she completed her preventative chemotherapy treatment on September 9. Her first public outings took place on November 9 and 10, when she joined other royal family members for the Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall and the Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph Service at the war memorial.

"She is clearly a vital piece of the royal family, really important both symbolically and in reality as a future queen," royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People. "It was good that people saw her. You can’t say she is back...but she is coming back."