Kate Middleton Steps Out for First Major Appearance Alongside Royal Family Since Completing Chemo

The Princess of Wales attended the Festival of Remembrance, her first royal family event since announcing she had completed chemotherapy in a video on Sept. 9

Kate Middleton is stepping out for her first major ceremonial royal event after completing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

On Nov. 9, the Princess of Wales, 42, joined her husband, Prince William, and fellow royal family members at the Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall in London. The annual event, organized by the Royal British Legion, honors the service and sacrifices of the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces.

Upon their arrival, William put a protective arm on Kate's back several times as they were greeted at the entrance of Royal Albert Hall. The princess's latest appearance is significant, as it marks her first major event with the royal family after she announced that she completed chemotherapy.

In an interview on Nov. 7, as he wrapped Earthshot Week in South Africa, William opened up about his "brutal" past year amid both Kate and King Charles' cancer diagnoses, saying: “It's been dreadful. It's probably been the hardest year in my life.”

“But 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, yeah, it's been brutal," he continued.

The Festival of Remembrance was also attended by King Charles, Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent. The royal guest list was released the day prior, Nov. 8, where it was confirmed Princess Kate would attend Remembrance events on both Saturday and Sunday.

Notably missing from the outing on Saturday was Queen Camilla, who is recovering from a chest infection. The palace announced Camilla's absence earlier in the day in a statement: “Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events."

"While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week," it added.

PEOPLE understands that there is no cause for concern for Camilla, who is spending the weekend at Ray Mill Wiltshire. The royal didn’t want to pass on any lingering infection to others and was worried that attending the events would set back her recovery.

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Princess Kate has attended the Festival of Remembrance every year since 2015, excluding 2020, when the service was scaled down amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sept. 9, the Princess of Wales shared that she completed chemotherapy, six months after she said in March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. In that announcement, Princess Kate described it as a "relief" to have completed chemo and mentioned that she looked forward to "being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can."

Though the princess has been holding meetings with her team and joined Prince William to visit Southport, where three children were killed in a mass stabbing on July 29, she has not fully returned to work and no date has been set around that expectation.

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It emerged on Sept. 9 that the Princess of Wales hoped to join her family at The Cenotaph war memorial in London on Remembrance Sunday, Nov. 10.

Like the Festival of Remembrance, Remembrance Sunday is a steadfast staple on the royal family's annual calendar and is highlighted by the National Service of Remembrance.

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The solemn ceremony is held on the second Sunday of every November in the U.K., where the sovereign leads the tributes to service personnel from the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces who have died in war or conflict.