Kate Middleton Jokes About Lagging Behind Prince William and Kids on Christmas Day Walkabout: ‘I Seem to Have Lost My Family!’

Having put her health first this year due to a cancer diagnosis, Kate Middleton has mostly been away from public life during 2024.

With that in mind, it made sense that when the Princess of Wales, 42, joined the rest of the royal family on their traditional Christmas walk after morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church on Sandringham Estate, members of the public wanted to speak to her in particular. Kate had a number of touching conversations during the walk – including one with a woman who also suffered from cancer – and such emotional conversations naturally take more time than a simple “Hello”.

Catherine, Princess of Wales at Christmas morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk.

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A light moment during the walk on December 25 came when Kate cheekily quipped to a well-wisher “Looks like I’ve lost my family!” after husband Prince William and children Prince George (11), Princess Charlotte (9) and Prince Louis (6) were so far ahead of her on that journey. William, 42, and the children stood patiently and waited a few steps away, waiting for her to finish speaking to the crowd, after The Daily Mail.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, shakes hands with a young well-wisher after attending the royal family’s traditional Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England on December 25, 2024.

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Kate Middleton goes for a Christmas walk with her family, marking the end of the ‘toughest’ year

For the occasion, Princess Kate wore the forest green Alexander McQueen coat she previously wore during her visit to Leeds in 2023. It was paired with a matching fascinator and scarf, as well as black gloves and boots in a co-ordinated moment with Queen Camilla, who led the royal contingent on the walk together with her husband, King Charles.

During the walk, Kate smiled from ear to ear as she accepted bracelets of flowers, knelt down to talk to young children and met members of the public who were eager to talk to her, including John Loughrey, who told Sky News about meeting the future queen, “I’m on top of the world.”

“I told Catherine she was an inspiration,” he said.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince George of Wales at the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk.

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Karen Maclean – who has suffered from cancer for more than 20 years – spoke to Princess Kate and King Charles, who were diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. (The types and stages of their cancers remain unknown to the public, although Kate announced on September 9 that she had finished chemotherapy, and the palace announced on December 20 that the royal’s treatment will continue until 2025, but it is moving in a positive direction.)

“We just talked a little bit about cancer,” Maclean said of her conversation with the Princess of Wales, adding that both Kate and Charles seem “actually very well, considering what they’re going through.”

After hugging Kate, Maclean added: “What a privilege.”

Catherine, Princess of Wales reacts as she is presented with flowers after attending the royal family’s traditional Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England on December 25, 2024.

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Kate Middleton’s emotional return to royal walks: ‘She looked so happy to be back with us’ (Exclusive)

Louis Beauchamp spoke to Kate on December 25 after previously meeting her in May 2023 ahead of King Charles’ coronation.

“I had an unforgettable interaction with Catherine,” Beauchamp told PEOPLE of their Christmas conversation.

Beauchamp, who is from France, added: “Unfortunately, when she announced she had cancer, I knew we wouldn’t be seeing her in public for a very long time. Sandringham was the best opportunity for me. So I booked a trip and went there to show that I’m still here to support her and always will be.”

Beauchamp wrote Kate a letter about “the positive impact she has had on my life over the years,” he said, and gave her a scarf he had made for her in Morocco.

“She thanked me a lot and said it was wonderful and nice of me to come again,” he told PEOPLE. “She was honest and close to people for as long as I remembered her. She seemed so happy to be with us again. You could tell she was genuinely touched.”

The Princess of Wales addresses the public after a Christmas morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.

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Kate previously spoke in a documentary honoring Queen Elizabeth on her 90th birthday in 2016 about her tendency to babble during walks: “Walking is an art,” she said. “Everyone in the family teases me because I spend too much time chatting. I still have to learn a little more, and pick up a few more tips, I guess.”

Kate’s appearance at Christmas capped a year in which she underwent planned abdominal surgery in January and was absent from public life until June’s Trooping the Color following her video announcement in March that she had been diagnosed with cancer. In July, she stepped out at Wimbledon with daughter Princess Charlotte and sister Pippa Middleton, and after a video announcement in September that she had completed therapy, she has been gradually returning to royal duties, including a visit to Southport, England, in October with Prince William, taking part in memorial events in November and the host of her annual Together at Christmas a concert of carols in Westminster Abbey on December 6.

Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the ‘Together At Christmas’ Christmas service at Westminster Abbey on December 6, 2024 in London, England.

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At the song concert, Kate candidly said that she “didn’t know this year was going to be the year I just had… unplanned.”

She added: “But I think a lot of people have had such challenging times this year, and a lot of people who are here today.”

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Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales at the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

While the Dec. 25 walk was a familiar sight, on the cusp of 2025, an insider told PEOPLE, “She won’t be back at work the same way for a long time.”

Kate is “very much in control of her return to public life,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told PEOPLE. “She does what works best for her.” The friend added: “She’s focused on herself and her family at the moment, rightly so.”

“You can’t go through something like that and come out the other side unchanged,” the source said. “She’s a different person now.”

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Source: HIS Education