Like Kate, Queen Elizabeth also chose to wear multiple poppies. The late monarch wore five poppies, representing the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army, the Royal Air Force, and the Defense Medical Services.
Other working royals who attended The Cenotaph alongside Kate and Sophie included King Charles, Prince William, Prince Edward, 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.
Queen Camilla was absent from this weekend’s Remembrance events, missing both on November 9 and November 10 as she continues to recover from a chest infection. On November 9, the palace issued a statement confirming her absence, which said, “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,” the statement added.
This weekend marked a significant milestone in Princess Kate’s gradual return to public duties, which is expected to continue in December with her annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey. In her emotional video from September 9, where she announced she had finished chemotherapy, she shared, “Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. 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 also mentioned, “I am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.” She has stayed true to her promise, attending both private and photographed meetings at Windsor Castle for some of her important causes, and also appeared with the Prince of Wales in Southport, England, on October 10 ahead of her Remembrance duties over the weekend.
“She is undoubtedly a crucial member of the royal family, significant both symbolically and in reality as a future Queen,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE. “It was beneficial for people to see her. You can’t say she is back … but she is coming back.”
“Being a senior member of the royal family and participating in these ceremonial events is clearly important to her,” Bedell Smith adds.
