Duchess Sophie cut a sombre figure at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening as she joined other senior royals for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert on Hall.
She wore a beautiful Suzannah Grandad dress in bespoke black velvet with Christian Dior patent leather pumps. She accessorised with a regimental brooch of the Queen’s Own Yeomanry, of which she is Royal Colonel and a poppy brooch.
Princess Kate was among those in attendance, as she made her fourth public appearance of the year alongside her husband who has just returned from a four-day trip to Cape Town for his Earthshot Prize.
Sophie stood beside her husband, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. The King led the event, having become Patron of the Royal British Legion earlier this year.
But the Queen was not in attendance as she pulled out of Remembrance events this weekend as she recovers from her chest infection.
The Palace says it is a “great disappointment” for Camilla, 77, but doctors have erred on the side of caution as they fear the events, which involve standing outside for a prolonged period in unpredictable weather, would set back a full recovery.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events.
“While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week.”
Earlier in the week she pulled out of an Olympic and Paralympic reception at the Palace and the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey after developing the seasonal respiratory bug following her long-haul tour to Australia and Samoa and spa break in India.
Her Majesty continues to recover at Ray Mill House, her private home in Wiltshire, and expects to be well enough to return to London early next week for several engagements. The first in the diary is a Booker Prize reception at Clarence House on Tuesday.
Duchess Sophie will be at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony on Whitehall tomorrow, where the King will lead a two-minute silence.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and other senior royals will also join politicians for the annual service at the Cenotaph.
Kate’s attendance on Remembrance Weekend had been in doubt, as the princess has attended only a handful of events since her abdominal surgery and subsequent cancer diagnosis at the start of the year.
But since she revealed that her course of chemotherapy has come to an end she has started to ease herself back into royal duties.
Last month she attended her first community engagement of the year, joining William in Southport to meet the families of the three girls who died following the horror knife attack in July.
She also attended a private matinee ballet performance of Giselle at the National Ballet and met a young photographer battling cancer at Windsor Castle.
Tonight’s appearance marked Kate’s fourth public appearance of 2024, having attended Trooping the Colour and Wimbledon, as well as visiting Southport.
