LONDON: Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, said on Friday she is making good progress as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy, but is “not out of the woods” ahead of her first public appearance since surgery revealed the presence of cancer.

In a personal written message, Kate said she had been “blown away” by the thousands of kind messages from across the globe which followed her cancer announcement in March.

She said they had made a world of difference to her and her husband, heir to the throne Prince William.

“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” her statement said.

“On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.”

Her improved health means she will be able to appear in public for the first time since December when she joined other senior royals for an annual Christmas Day church service.

Kate, 42, will accompany her three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, in a carriage during Saturday’s `Trooping the Colour’, an annual military parade held in central London to mark the monarch’s official birthday.

She will also join King Charles, Queen Camilla and other senior family members on the balcony of Buckin­gham Palace, the high-profile pinnacle of the event.

While Kate said she was hoping to take part in other events this year, aides cautioned that Saturday did not mark a return to a full schedule of work.

“My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months,” she said. “I’m looking forward to attending The Kings Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet.”

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2024