close
close

Mondor Festival

News with a Local Lens

Kate Middleton jokes: “It seems like I lost my family!” on Christmas Day
minsta

Kate Middleton jokes: “It seems like I lost my family!” on Christmas Day

While she prioritized her health this year due to her cancer diagnosis, Kate Middleton has been largely removed from public life throughout 2024.

With that in mind, it made sense that the Princess of Wales, 42, would join other members of the royal family for their traditional Christmas day walk after a morning church service at St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate, members of the public wanted to speak to him specifically. Kate had a number of poignant conversations during the walk – including one with a woman who had also faced cancer – and emotional conversations like that naturally require more time than a simple “Hello.”

Catherine, Princess of Wales, shakes hands with a young benefactor after attending the royal family’s traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, December 25, 2024 .

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty


A moment of levity during the Dec. 25 crowd occurred when Kate cheekily joked to a well-wisher: “It looks like I’ve lost my family!” after my husband Prince William and the children Prince George11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis6 years old, were so far ahead of her on the path. William, 42, and the children waited patiently a few feet away, waiting for her to finish chatting with the crowd, according to The daily mail.

For the occasion, Princess Kate wore a forest green Alexander McQueen coat that she previously wore during a visit to Leeds in 2023. It was teamed with a matching fascinator and scarf as well as black gloves and boots . a coordinated match moment with Queen Camillewho led the royal contingent on the walk with her husband, King Charles.

During the walk, Kate smiled from ear to ear as she accepted armfuls of flowers, knelt down to speak with young children and met members of the public eager to speak with her, including John Loughrey, who said News from the sky to meet the future queen, “I’m on top of the world”.

“I told Catherine she was an inspiration,” he said.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince George of Wales attend the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Samir Hussein/WireImage


Karen Maclean – who has suffered from cancer for more than 20 years – spoke to Princess Kate and King Charles, who were both diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. (The types and stages of both of their cancers remain unknown to the public, although Kate announced on September 9 that she had completed chemotherapy treatmentand the palace announced on December 20 that the king’s treatment would continue until 2025, but that it was going in a positive direction.)

“We just had a little chat about cancer,” Maclean said of his conversation with the Princess of Wales, adding that Kate and Charles seemed “very good actually, considering what they’re going through.”

After hugging Kate, Maclean added: “What a privilege. »

Catherine, Princess of Wales, reacts as she is presented with flowers after attending the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, December 25, 2024 .

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty


Louis Beauchamp spoke to Kate on December 25 after meeting her in May 2023 ahead of King Charles’ coronation.

“I had an unforgettable interaction with Catherine,” Beauchamp told PEOPLE of their Christmas Day conversation.

Beauchamp – who is from France – added: “Unfortunately, when she announced she had cancer, I knew we wouldn’t see her in public for a very long time. Sandringham was the best opportunity for me. So I booked a trip and went there to show that I was still there to support her and always will be.

Beauchamp wrote Kate a letter about “the positive impact she had on my life over the years,” he said, and gave her a scarf he had made for her in Morocco.

“She thanked me so much and said it was wonderful and so nice of me to come back,” he told PEOPLE. “She was as authentic and close to people as I remember. She looked so happy to be with us again. You could tell she was really touched.

The Princess of Wales speaks to members of the public after the Christmas morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty


Kate previously spoke out in a documentary honoring Queen Elizabeth on her 90th birthday in 2016, about how she tended to gossip during crowd baths: “Walk baths are a real art,” she said. “Everyone teases me in the family that I spend too much time talking. I still need to learn a little more and pick up a few more tips, I guess.

Kate’s Christmas Day appearance capped a year that saw her undergo scheduled abdominal surgery in January and be absent from public life until Trooping the Color in June following her March video announcement that she had been diagnosed with cancer. In July, she stepped out at Wimbledon with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister. Pippa Middletonand after announcing via video in September that she had completed therapy, she gradually returned to royal duties, including visiting Southport, England, in October with Prince William, attending Remembrance events in November and organizing its annual ceremony. Together at Christmas Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey on December 6.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, attends the ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 6, 2024 in London, England.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty


At the Christmas concert, Kate shared candidly she “didn’t know that this year was going to be the year I had just experienced… the unexpected.”

She added: “But I think a lot of people have been through very difficult times this year, and a lot of those who are here today.”

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales attend the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Samir Hussein/WireImage


While the Dec. 25 walkabout is a familiar sighting, as 2025 approaches, an insider told PEOPLE, “She won’t be returning to work in the same way for a long time.”

Kate is “very much in control of her return to public life,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE. “She does what’s best for her.” A friend added: “She is rightly focusing on herself and her family at the moment. »

“You can’t go through something like this and come out unchanged,” one source said. “She’s a different person now.”