Kate Middleton has confirmed her chemotherapy is over and her focus was now on staying cancer-free. Photo / @princeandprincessofwales
Kate Middleton has confirmed her chemotherapy is over and her focus was now on staying cancer-free. Photo / @princeandprincessofwales
The Princess of Wales has returned to work for the first time since starting cancer treatment with a meeting about her early childhood project.
Catherine appeared in the Court Circular, the official record of the royal family’s activities, for a meeting at Windsor Castle as she begins easing back into “a handful” of engagements over the coming months.
The entry, published in The Telegraph, reads: “The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron, The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this afternoon held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle.”
She is understood to have been joined by members of her team at the Centre for Early Childhood, as well as Kensington Palace staff.
It is the first meeting noted in the Court Circular this year since the Princess withdrew from public life, first for major abdominal surgery and then for chemotherapy.
Earlier this month, she released a video explaining that she had finished her course of preventative treatment and looked forward to returning to work in a limited capacity.
“Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus,” she said on September 9. “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.
Kate Middleton drives a Land Rover. Photo / Kensington Palace
“I am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.”
The Princess is expected, health permitting, to attend a Remembrance Sunday service in support of the royal family, veterans and their families. She is also planning to host her annual carol concert at Westminster Abbey in December.
No other engagements have been confirmed, allowing her to make last-minute decisions based on how she is feeling and what her doctors recommend.
She is said to have been kept updated on her early years project throughout her illness, when she has been well enough to work from home.
The appearance in the Court Circular will be considered a major step back towards normality.
The Princess last appeared in its pages for a meeting in an entry from December 12, which read identically: “The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this morning held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle.”
The Prince and Princess live with their children in Adelaide Cottage, in the grounds of Windsor Home Park near the castle.
Sources have indicated that she will be undertaking engagements “when she can”, describing it variously as “a light programme” of work and “a handful” of pencilled-in engagements. They pointed out that, as with any patient who has just finished chemotherapy, it is “hard” to plan for the future.
