The royal family’s Christmas Day walk to Sandringham Church for the morning service has become something of a tradition: Each year, fans of the King and his brood line the streets outside the church in the hopes of being able to chat, take photographs, and catch a glimpse of the UK’s most famous family.
This year, however, it seemed like all eyes were very much on the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, who had a very tough year after being diagnosed with and treated for cancer, sharing that she was disease-free in September of this year. While going through health challenges, Kate stepped away from her royal duties to focus on getting better and being with her family—and Christmas Day marked the first time she interacted with a crowd of well-wishers in person.
According to a string of tweets, one royal fan (who claimed to be outside the church in Sandringham on the day) said that although the Princess’s “voice wavered at first, from the moment she got out of church, she went to meet all the people there.”
The tweets, shared via an account with the handle @LouisBchp, also said the Princess took ample time to greet those gathered to meet her.
“This was the first time the PoW interacted with the public in a year. She’s been so brave […] She spent about 40 minutes with us, when it was really cold,” the tweeter said. “She took time to listen and talk to everyone who had come to see her. I took this picture of her. THAT smile is real and speaks volumes. She was genuinely happy.”
The X account even said other members of the royal family had to nudge a security member into hurrying the princess along after a while, as she was so enjoying speaking to people. “While other members of the royal family had sped down the path, she stood there, allowed them all to outstrip her. Her husband had to call a security member to tell her to hurry.”
When previously sharing the news that she is no longer having chemotherapy, Kate added that she wasn’t entirely out of the woods with her health quite yet.
In the Princess’s statement in September, she said, “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. I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.”
It’s great to hear that the Princess seemed to enjoy herself on Christmas morning and that she was well enough to meet with members of the public in an informal setting.
