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Kate, Princess of Wales, Waves to Crowds in First Public Appearance Since Cancer Diagnosis

Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the Trooping the Colour parade to honour Britain's King Charles on his official birthday in London, Britain, June 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams Purchase Licensing Rights
Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the Trooping the Colour parade to honour Britain's King Charles on his official birthday in London, Britain, June 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams Purchase Licensing Rights
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Kate, Princess of Wales, Waves to Crowds in First Public Appearance Since Cancer Diagnosis

Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the Trooping the Colour parade to honour Britain's King Charles on his official birthday in London, Britain, June 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams Purchase Licensing Rights
Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the Trooping the Colour parade to honour Britain's King Charles on his official birthday in London, Britain, June 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams Purchase Licensing Rights

Kate, Britain's Princess of Wales, waved to crowds and smiled broadly from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after watching a military parade on Saturday, making her first public appearance this year as she undergoes treatment for cancer.

The princess, 42, spent two weeks in hospital in January after she underwent major abdominal surgery. Two months later she announced in a video message that tests had revealed the presence of cancer and she was receiving preventative chemotherapy.

She is still undergoing treatment, but her improved health meant she was able to appear in public for the first time since December, according to Reuters. 

The princess rode in a covered carriage with her three children to watch the "Trooping the Colour", an annual military parade to mark the official birthday of the British monarch, King Charles.

Despite heavy rain showers, crowds lined the streets and waved and cheered as the carriage went past, outnumbering a small group of protesters holding placards calling for an end to the monarchy.

Charles rode in a separate carriage with Queen Camilla, followed by Prince William, Charles' heir and Kate's husband, who was on horseback along with other senior members of the royal family.

Kate, wearing a pale outfit decorated with a white and navy ribbon by British fashion designer Jenny Packham and a broad-brimmed matching hat by Irish milliner Philip Treacy, watched the ceremony from a window overlooking the parade ground.

She pointed out aspects of the event to her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, while Charles saluted passing troops from a covered dais on the parade ground itself.

The king and queen, as well as William, Kate and other members of the royal family later returned to Buckingham Palace to watch a military flypast from the balcony. Kate smiled broadly and waved.

In a rare personal written message on Friday, she said she was making good progress but was "not out of the woods". She said she was looking forward to attending Saturday's parade and hoped to join a few public engagements over the summer.

Kate's office, Kensington Palace, has declined to give any details about the type of cancer or about her treatment, other than to say the preventative chemotherapy had begun in February.

Before the parade, onlookers said they were looking forward to seeing the princess.

"I know it's the king's birthday, but all eyes will be on Kate because we haven't seen her for a while," said John Loughrey, who was wearing a T-shirt with pictures of Kate on it.

Another onlooker, Anne Gaely, who was carrying a life-size cardboard cutout of the princess, said she was relieved that Kate would be there in the flesh.

"We've all been very, very worried and uneasy about it, but now this is going to be joyful, euphoric and fabulous," she said.

In her message on Friday, Kate said she had been "blown away" by thousands of kind messages from across the globe, which had made a world of difference to her and William.

"I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days," Kate's statement said.

Her illness has coincided with that of Charles, 75, who has also been undergoing treatment for cancer. He returned to public duties in April, and has remained busy, although his diary commitments are being limited to minimise risks to his recovery.

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Rescued Lion Cub from Lebanon Wildlife Trade is Safe in South Africa

Freya and Pi are the latest of nearly two dozen big cats rescued from various situations by Animals Lebanon. - The AP.
Freya and Pi are the latest of nearly two dozen big cats rescued from various situations by Animals Lebanon. - The AP.
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Rescued Lion Cub from Lebanon Wildlife Trade is Safe in South Africa

Freya and Pi are the latest of nearly two dozen big cats rescued from various situations by Animals Lebanon. - The AP.
Freya and Pi are the latest of nearly two dozen big cats rescued from various situations by Animals Lebanon. - The AP.

Freya, a 6-month-old lion cub rescued from the wildlife trade in Lebanon, poked a curious nose out of her transport crate and sniffed the air. Satisfied, she took her first cautious steps in her new forever home in a sanctuary in South Africa.

Freya's relocation to the Drakenstein Lion Park is only a partial success story.

She will never live as a lion should in the wild. She has been given lifetime sanctuary at Drakenstein, which has taken in other lions from zoos and circuses in France, Chile, Romania and elsewhere. Some have terrible backstories of abuse, noted on placards at the sanctuary: Ares was blind and neglected when he was rescued. Brutus had been beaten hard enough to break his jaw.

But as Freya settles in at Drakenstein, animal welfare groups have again drawn attention to South Africa's contradictory position when it comes to the species that often symbolizes African wildlife, The AP reported.

South Africa, with an admirable reputation for conservation and ethical sanctuaries like Drakenstein, also has a thriving captive lion business where the big cats are bred for petting and other encounters but also for killing in “canned hunting” experiences or for the lion bone trade.

South Africa has special permission through the endangered plant and animal trade treaty CITES to export lion bones and skeletons, mostly to Southeast Asia to be used in traditional medicines. Canned hunting, where lions are chased down and shot in enclosures with no chance of a fair chase or escape, is also legal.

Animal welfare groups have pushed for the business of breeding lions in captivity to end. The South African government announced recently it plans to close down the industry and it's expected to take two to three years if there are no legal challenges.

It has been a stain on South Africa's conservation brand, said Audrey Delsink, the Africa wildlife director for Humane Society International, which was involved in Freya's relocation. She said it was important for people to realize that the cute cubs used for petting encounters at some South African parks — but not at Drakenstein — end up being big lions shipped off to be killed.

“They’ve been pulled from their mothers, they’ve been hand-raised for you to take selfies with and enjoy them, and then eventually the same lions are going to be shot for trophies in a camp from which they cannot escape, and then end up as a bag of bones,” Delsink said.

There are more than 300 captive lion facilities in South Africa, with more than 7,000 lions. That is double the number of lions in the South African wild. Campaigners against the business say it should be made more clear to visitors that the vast majority of South Africa's lions live in cages in the world's largest captive lion industry.

“We cannot pull the wool over tourists' eyes anymore,” Delsink said.

As for Freya, her rescuers hope that she will eventually bond and live in the same enclosure as young male cub Pi, who they believe is her brother and was brought from Lebanon in April.

Pi was illegally trafficked and owned by a man who used him to promote his TikTok account, said Jason Mier, director of Animals Lebanon, which rescued Pi and Freya. Pi often had his mouth taped shut when used for videos or selfies and was locked in a small cage at night. He was kept as a status symbol for his owner “to be able to show off I’m powerful, I have money, look at me,” Mier said.

Freya and Pi are the latest of nearly two dozen big cats rescued from various situations by Animals Lebanon. Some have come to Drakenstein, which doesn’t allow cub petting or any close encounters, but does welcome visitors to see the lions and learn about them.

Freya and Pi wouldn't survive if released in the wild, so the sanctuary is the best option for them. Those involved in Pi's rescue said they remember watching the cub experience grass under his paws for the first time at Drakenstein, even if it was in the enclosure he and Freya will likely inhabit for the rest of their lives.