Kate Middleton has made appearances here and there this fall, having announced that she finished chemotherapy this September. Now, she has joined her family, including husband, Prince William, and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, for Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church in Norfolk, England, where the royal family gathers each year.
Kate looked striking in an emerald coat from Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. She paired it with a matching hat and green-and-navy tartan scarf. She walked alongside Charlotte, who complemented her in emerald-and-navy plaid look.
Ahead of the holidays, People reported the couple would be spending the holidays at Sandringham with King Charles. In late November, the outlet also shared that Kate’s brother- and sister-in-law, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, weren’t invited by Charles.
A source close to the royal household told People on December 12 that the year has drastically changed the Princess of Wales. “Life-threatening illnesses bring a reconsideration of priorities,” the insider said. “She and William have always made it clear that family is the most important thing.”
The source added, “You can’t go through something like that and come out the other side unchanged. She is a different person now.”
Kate’s gradual reintroduction to public life is on purpose. “They can’t raise people’s expectations with lots of engagements only for her to face a setback, not feel well, and things are canceled,” Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson told People. “The strategy of an unexpected visit gives her flexibility. She doesn’t have the pressure of feeling she has to turn up.”
When Kate spoke about finishing treatment in September, she shared that she would be working as she can. “Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” she said. “I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can. Despite all that has gone before I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.”
