It's been a slow few months in terms of royal events for Kate Middleton as she's continued to recover from her battle with cancer, but this week, all of that is about to change. The Princess of Wales was previously announced to be joining King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William for elements of a special state visit at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Dec. 3, but now another new appearance has been added to Kate's calendar.
Daily Mail editor Rebecca English shared a post on X confirming that the Princess of Wales—who was originally only scheduled to join a welcome ceremony and carriage procession for the Amir of Qatar and his wife on Tuesday—will also be joining The King and his guests for a "private lunch and display of Qatari items" from the Royal Collection Trust.
Buckingham Palace previously announced that King Charles would be inviting the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his wife, Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, "to view a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection Trust and Turquoise Mountain Foundation relating to Qatar."
Kate's last-minute inclusion in the schedule comes amid news that Queen Camilla won't be taking part in some of this week's events due to lingering effects of a chest infection. She was previously scheduled to attend the welcome ceremony and carriage procession, but now will only attend the lunch and Tuesday evening's state banquet. Per the palace, The Queen will take a short break between photos and the dinner in order to rest.
The last state visit Princess Kate participated in took place in November 2023.
Her Majesty has been forced to miss several engagements on the royal calendar in recent weeks, including two Remembrance Day events and the Royal Variety Show.
The last time Princess Kate took part in a state visit was in November 2023 when the president and first lady of South Korea visited Buckingham Palace. However, this time the royal won't be donning a sparkling tiara for a state banquet like she did last year.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Princess of Wales, who has slowly been easing back into royal duties after completing chemotherapy treatment, will be staying home on Tuesday night while other members of the Royal Family take part in a white-tie banquet at Buckingham Palace.
However, royal fans will see the princess again on Friday, Dec. 6 when she joins her family at Westminster Abbey for the annual Together at Christmas carol concert.
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