The Princess of Wales has made a rare appearance following the end of her cancer treatment, with the royal joining her husband Prince William at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Although Kate didn't take part in the service, following its conclusion she and William met with 16-year-old Liz Hatton, an aspiring photographer who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer back in January.
Liz was invited by William and Kate to take pictures of the investiture ceremony after William learned of the teenager's story through the London Air Ambulance Charity. The youngster was joined by her mother Vicky Robanya, stepfather Aaron and brother Mateo for the occasion.
Kate was seen embracing the teenager during their meeting, with the royal wearing a maroon dress for the occasion.
© InstagramFollowing the meeting, the Prince and Princess tweeted: "A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today. A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both. Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us. W&C."
Liz also took to social media to share the photos and share her thanks to the royals for their kindness. "Such a lovely, genuine and kind people, I'm over the moon that my family and I had this experience."
© InstagramThe photo is the first official photograph of the princess since she confirmed she was returning to work following the conclusion of her chemotherapy treatment.
Kate confirmed the news on 9 September and set out a path for her return to work. "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 explained.
© GettyHELLO! understands Kate will undertake a light programme of work between now and the end of the year and this will include a handful of public engagements over the coming months as part of her gradual return to public duties.
The royal has been conducting meetings, however, these have been outside of the public eye. A Court Circular report released a week after Kate shared her news revealed that the mum-of-three had held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle.
© GettyLast week, Kate also made a lowkey visit to watch English National Ballet's matinee performance of Giselle at Sadlers Wells. Taking to social media following the performance, the royal posted: "Congratulations and thank you to @ENBallet and @Sadlers_Wells for the wonderfully powerful, moving and inspiring performance of Akram Khan's Giselle. Creativity at its best! C."
Her outing came shortly after Kate headed to Balmoral with William where the royal couple attended church together.
Timeline of Princess Kate's surgery and health updates
© Getty25 December 2023 – Kate is last seen publicly on Christmas Day
9 January 2024 – Kate celebrates her 42nd birthday, with the King and Queen sharing a behind-the-scenes photo from the coronation to mark the day.
11 January 2024 – William returns to royal duties, meeting rugby heroes Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
17 January 2024 – Kensington Palace announces in a statement that Kate has undergone abdominal surgery at the London Clinic and that William has temporarily stepped back from royal duties to care for Kate and their children.
18 January 2024 – William visits Kate at the London Clinic.
26 January 2024 – King Charles visits Kate in hospital before undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.
29 January 2024 – Kate is discharged from hospital and returns home to Windsor to continue her recovery. King Charles also leaves the London Clinic on the same day after his treatment.
7 February 2024 – William resumes royal duties attending London's Air Ambulance Charity gala with Tom Cruise.
10 February 2024 – William and Kate spend February half-term with George, Charlotte and Louis at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. Kate's siblings are also pictured on holiday during the school holidays, with James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet flying to the Caribbean with baby Inigo, and Pippa Matthews and her family holidaying on the island of St Barts.
27 February 2024 – Kate said to be "doing well" as William pulls out of King Constantine memorial due to a "personal matter".
29 February 2024 – Kensington Palace addresses social media speculation, reiterating: "We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter."
10 March 2024 - A photograph of Kate with their three children at home in Windsor is released to mark Mother's Day and to thank the public for their "continued support".
11 March 2024 - Kate publicly apologises for the "confusion" around the photograph as she admitted she "occasionally experiments with editing," after news agencies pulled the image amid claims it had been digitally altered. The Princess is then seen in a car with William as she's driven to a private appointment in London.
19 March 2024 - Footage of William and Kate leaving the Windsor Farm Shop is shared by The Sun and TMZ in the first video sighting of the Princess since surgery.
22 March 2024 - Princess Kate confirms that she has been diagnosed with cancer in a moving video message and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
18 April 2024 - Prince William returns to royal duties after spending Easter holidays privately as a family.
10 May 2024 - Prince William says Kate is "doing well" as he visits the Isles of Scilly.
21 May 2024 - Princess Kate is "excited" as Kensington Palace shares update on her early years work with the release of her Business Taskforce's prioritising childhood report.
8 June 2024 - Princess Kate writes letter to Irish Guards to apologise for not being able to take part in the salute at the Colonel's Review.
14 June 2024 - In a personal statement, Kate shares she is making "good progress" and that her "treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months".
15 June 2024 - Kate makes her first major public appearance since diagnosis at Trooping the Colour.
14 July 2024 - Kate watches the Men's final at Wimbledon with Princess Charlotte and Pippa Matthews.
11 August 2024 - William and Kate congratulate Team GB athletes in a video message after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
