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Fresh light on the Princess of Wales’s return to public life has reportedly emerged as she continues her treatment for cancer.
Kate, 42, has attended just two engagements this year – the Trooping the Colour in June and presenting the men’s final trophy at Wimbledon in July.
The Times reports that she is now hoping to join the royal family at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in November and host her Christmas carol concert the following month.
She retreated from public life in January for planned abdominal surgery before revealing she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry’s 40th birthday on 15 September could see the Duke of Sussex inherit a reported £8m from his late great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.
She is said to have left a larger part of her fortune to Harry, 39, because he was not destined to become king.
A former palace aide told The Times: “There was a trust fund set up at the time. It was a way for the Queen Mother to set aside money for her great-grandchildren when they were older, and a way of passing a portion of her estate down in a tax-efficient manner.”
The trust fund contained a reported £19m, which was gifted to the late Queen Mother’s grandchildren on the occasions of their 21st and 40th birthdays.
Meghan Markle’s ‘chapter of joy’ on anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death
Meghan Markle attended a bookshop event with her friend Oprah Winfrey on the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death (8 September).
Oprah’s book club event took place at Godmothers bookstore, in Summerland, California, while other members of the royal family marked the second anniversary of the late queen’s passing.
As reported by the Sun, the Duchess of Sussex said: “I’m looking at this time as my chapter of joy.”
She added: “The more you are able to look at your life and really, truly recognise and be able to be grateful for your life – you have to be grateful for all aspects of it.”
Emma Guinness9 September 2024 15:00
King Charles’s second year on the throne marked with 41 gun saltue
The Band of the Welsh Guards also marked the occasion with music.
Emma Guinness9 September 2024 13:32
Late Queen Elizabeth II would have been ‘proud’ of King Charles
The late Queen Elizabeth II would have been “extremely proud” of how King Charles’s has handled the many challenges he has faced in his reign so far.
These include several health problems within the royal family, including his own cancer diagnosis, as well as ongoing tensions with his youngest son, Prince Harry, who he last saw in February.
Royal expert Duncan Larcombe told OK! magazine: “The Queen always had that ‘keep calm and carry on’ work ethic, and we’ve really seen that continue with the King.
“He has kept going, and you get the impression he’s been doing as much as he physically can. I wonder if his doctors might privately be a bit annoyed that he hasn’t rested as much as he could have.”
Emma Guinness9 September 2024 13:00
Queen Elizabeth predicted big changes in monarchy before death
This year, in particular, has put King Charles’s vision for a comparatively slimmed-down monarchy to the test as the family battles several health problems, including his own cancer diagnosis.
As reported by the Express, the late monarch said four months before her death: “I have lived long enough to know things never remain quite the same for very long. Events and situations change with startling speed.”
Yesterday marked the second anniversary of the queen’s passing.
Emma Guinness9 September 2024 12:00
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘sitting on goldmine'
This comes ahead of the paperback release of the Duke of Sussex’s bombshell 2023 memoir Spare, which is said to have bagged him a $20m advance.
But royal expert Tom Bower said that should the duchess write her own account, it would destroy any hopes of a reconciliation between the Sussexes and the royal family.
He told Talk TV: “The only thing she has got left – and I think that is her potential gold mine – is her autobiography.”
Mr Bower added: “She has a very, very vivid imagination and she’ll be able to spell out an amazing story... to increase her income.”
The duchess currently has no known plans to write an autobiography.
Emma Guinness9 September 2024 10:40
Watch: King Charles attends church on second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death
Athena Stavrou9 September 2024 07:00
Songs Of Praise filmed at Balmoral church for first time
The Scottish church where Queen Elizabeth II worshipped has hosted the BBC’s Songs Of Praise programme for the first time to mark the second anniversary of her death.
The special programme, which was screened on Sunday, featured a hymn commissioned by the King called Crathie in honour of the building.
During the programme, presenter Claire McCollum meets Crathie’s minister and chaplain to the monarch, Reverend Ken MacKenzie, to reflect on the late Queen’s deep faith and how she always felt part of his congregation.
He took the broadcaster on a historical tour of the kirk, including the foundation stone laid by Queen Victoria in 1893 and the royal pews where the King and Queen Camilla regularly worship.
Athena Stavrou9 September 2024 06:00
The King’s ‘rollercoaster year’ filled with family health challenges
The King faced a “rollercoaster” second year as sovereign, with the Queen proving herself the “star of the show” thanks to her support for her husband and the monarchy, a royal expert has said.
Sunday was the second anniversary of Charles’s accession to the throne and the loss of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The year 2024 looked set to offer a chance for the King and the royal family to settle in amid the aftermath the late Queen’s death and the King’s accession in 2022 and the hectic demands of the coronation in 2023.
But the health blows faced by Charles and the Princess of Wales torpedoed any plans for a run-of-the-mill year.
Joe Little, of Majesty magazine, said: “Nobody saw those things coming and they had a profound impact. It has been a rollercoaster year for the King, not just for him, but for his family, and it will have been of great concern to the Queen.
“Nonetheless he has been remarkably active for someone with his condition and given his age.
“He hasn’t really let the treatment hold him back, but I’m sure he hasn’t done anything near as much as he would have liked to have done.”
Athena Stavrou9 September 2024 05:00
Kate ‘hoping for autumn comeback’
The Princess of Wales is hoping to join the royal family at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday and host her Christmas carol concert, according to reports.
Kate, who has undergone months of chemotherapy treatment for cancer, is “potentially” set to join the King on November 10 at the national service in Whitehall in honour of those who died in conflict, The Sunday Times said.
Planning is also said to be under way for her annual televised Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in December, if she continues to have “more ‘good days’”, the newspaper revealed.
Kate, 42, has made two official public appearances since her diagnosis – attending Trooping the Colour in June and presenting the Wimbledon men’s trophy in July.
No date has been set for her return to public life, but the princess is understood to be holding more regular meetings as she works from home, having enjoyed the summer with the Prince of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Athena Stavrou9 September 2024 04:00
King’s health ‘heading in positive trajectory’
The King’s health is “heading in a very positive trajectory”, royal sources have said, as he marks the second anniversary of his accession to the throne.
Charles’, second year as sovereign has been filled with health concerns, having been diagnosed with cancer and dealing with ongoing treatment alongside his royal duties.
But a source said Charles had coped with the past year with a “determination to be as public as he was able” to reassure the nation about how much he could still do.
The King spent around three months away from public-facing duties and returned in April with a visit to a cancer centre in London.
He had a high profile run of engagements through the next few months with D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations in Portsmouth and Normandy, Trooping the Colour, the incoming Japanese state visit, a short trip to Jersey and Guernsey, the appointment of a new Prime Minister after Labour’s landslide general election, and the State Opening of Parliament.
The King and Queen are gearing up for an important tour to Australia and Samoa in the autumn – their first major overseas trip since news of Charles’s cancer was announced.
“Health has to remain the number one priority, albeit heading in a very positive trajectory,” the source said.
Athena Stavrou9 September 2024 02:30