Guernsey Press

Kate’s poignant tribute to war dead at Cenotaph with Sophie by her side

It is the first time the Princess of Wales has carried out two consecutive days of engagements this year following her surgery and cancer diagnosis.

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It was the Princess of Wales’s most poignant official engagement since the start of the year as Kate stood in solemn silence in honour of the nation’s war dead.

Kate made a rare appearance at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph – a sign of both her gradual return to duties and the importance the royal family places on the annual tribute to the fallen.

The Princess of Wales on a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office during the Remembrance Sunday service
The Princess of Wales appeared on a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office during the Remembrance Sunday service (Aaron Chown/PA)

In the absence of the Queen, who is recuperating at home with a chest infection, Kate, a future queen consort herself, was due to take to the central balcony alone.

Kate and Sophie chat on the balcony
Kate chatted with Sophie ahead of the service at the Cenotaph (Aaron Chown/PA)

Kate chatted with and smiled at Sophie at the start and, as they retreated from the balcony at the ceremony’s close, Sophie was seen to place her gloved hand on the princess’s back in a comforting gesture.

Sophie puts her hand on Kate's back as they leave a balcony overlooking the Remembrance service
Sophie guided Kate as the pair left the balcony (Aaron Chown/PA)

Her high-profile appearance comes after the Prince of Wales candidly described how 2024 had been “brutal” and “probably been the hardest year in my life”, with both Kate and the King diagnosed with cancer.

The Princess of Wales on a balcony overlooking the Cenotaph
The Princess of Wales wore a netted hat, with her hair in a twisted chignon, and a military-style coat (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

She was seen joining in with the national anthem, and singing alongside the duchess for a hymn as they held their song sheets.

Kate and Sophie singing a hymn during the service
Kate and Sophie sang a hymn during the service (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Her diamond and pearl drop earrings belonged to the late Queen, and she also wore her silver Queen’s Dragoon Guards brooch – in a nod to her role as the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief – beneath her poppies.

Sophie places her hand on the the Princess's back as they leave
Sophie placed her hand on the the princess’s back as they departed (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

She was pictured in 2011 in a black double-breasted coat by Diane von Furstenberg and a small brimmed hat with a large bow by couture milliner Jane Corbett.

The then-Duchess of Cambridge with the then-Duchess of Cornwall at the Cenotaph in 2011
The then-Duchess of Cambridge with the then-Duchess of Cornwall at the Cenotaph in 2011 (John Stillwell/PA)
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