Kate Middleton Steps Out for Christmas Day Walk Alongside Family, Marking End of 'Hardest' Year

Kate Middleton is ending one of the most difficult years of her life by participating in a time-honored royal family tradition.

On Wednesday, December 25, the Princess of Wales, 42, was joined by her husband Prince William and children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — as well as other members of the royal family — for the traditional Christmas a walk to St. Mary Magdalene’s church on the Sandringham estate, where Kate and the royal family normally spend Christmas every year.

King Charles and Queen Camilla led the royal family’s Christmas walk as they greeted well-wishers who lined the route to catch a glimpse of the royals on their way to church.

Kate, holding hands with her youngest son Louis, looked festive in a green Alexander McQueen coat, which she previously wore during a visit to Leeds in January 2023. She paired the coat with a matching fascinator and scarf, along with black gloves and boots.

After the service, Kate warmly greeted members of the public who lined the route, eager to catch a glimpse of the royal family. With a beaming smile, she shook hands, accepted bracelets of flowers and knelt down to talk to small children.

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales greets well-wishers as she attends a Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk on December 25, 2024.

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Two well-wishers have shared touching details of their conversations with Kate during the royal family’s Christmas outing.

John Loughrey, who arrived at Sandringham the night before, wore a shirt with photos of Kate and princess badges. Speaking to Sky News, he said: “I’m on top of the world. “I told Catherine she was an inspiration. She said thank you and said she liked my badges.”

Another well-wisher, 73-year-old Karen Maclean, who has been suffering from cancer for more than 20 years, spoke with Kate and King Charles. “We just talked a little bit about cancer,” she said, recalling the heart-to-heart conversation with the princess. Kate hugged Mrs Maclean, who had traveled from North Lincolnshire for the occasion.

Reflecting on her meeting with the king, Maclean said: “He said ‘I can remember you’, I’m thinking ‘what!’, like years ago?

She noted that both Kate and Charles looked “really good actually, considering what they’re going through.” After hugging Kate, she added, “What a privilege.”

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales hugs a 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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This year’s holiday appearance is particularly meaningful for Kate after a tumultuous 2024 that began with scheduled abdominal surgery in January. At the time, the surgery was thought to be for a non-cancerous condition. However, post-operative tests later revealed the presence of cancer. She announced her diagnosis to the public on March 22 and was not seen in an official capacity until June’s Trooping the Colour, when she celebrated the official birthday of her father-in-law King Charles, who was also diagnosed with cancer this year. Kate and Charles’ cancer types and stages remain unknown to the public.

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales at the Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk on December 25, 2024.

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In a year spent largely devoted to her health, Kate has rarely been seen at official royal engagements, except for Trooping the Color and an appearance in July at Wimbledon alongside daughter Charlotte and sister Pippa Middleton. On September 9, Kate posted another video message, this time announcing that she was done with chemotherapy. Although her return to royal work remains gradual, she visited Southport, England with William in October and stepped out for commemorative events in November; On December 6, it held its annual event Together at Christmas concert of the song in Westminster Abbey, and she continued her return to public life with a release on December 25.

Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Catherine Princess of Wales, Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Prince George arrive at St Mary Magdalene Christmas Church Service, St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, Norfolk, UK – 25 December 2024.

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Kate Middleton and Prince William share touching Christmas card with George, Charlotte and Louis after ‘toughest’ year

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

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

In November, Prince William said 2024 was “the hardest year of my life”: “It was horrible. It was probably the hardest year of my life… I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for dealing with the things they did, but from a personal family point of view, it was brutal.

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

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Kate’s cancer diagnosis has changed her life, both with her family at home and in her approach to royal work. “Life-threatening illnesses bring a reassessment of priorities,” a source close to the royal household told PEOPLE. “She and William have always made it clear that family is the most important thing.”

As 2025 approaches, 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.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Christmas morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk on December 25, 2024.

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A friend said: “She’s focused on herself and her family at the moment, rightly so,” adding that she’s “not fully recovered.” An insider told PEOPLE, “She won’t be back at work the same way for a long time.”

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

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

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Kate Middleton ‘not back to normal’ but ‘there is light at the end of the tunnel’: family friend (exclusive)

The road back to more and more royal duties won’t be easy, royal biographer Robert Hardman told PEOPLE. “They encourage us not to look at this as a chapter that’s over and then back to normal, because that’s not how cancer works,” he said. “The details remain secret, but there is no point in trying to obscure the fact that it is an unpredictable disease.”

Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk on December 25, 2024.

Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty

Bedell Smith added: “She will probably continue to be mindful of how often she appears in public and people shouldn’t begrudge her if she works less next year. The most important thing is that she will walk on her own. He’s going to do what he can and he’s going to do things he’s passionate about.”

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Kate Middleton greets members of the public after a Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk on December 25, 2024.

Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty

A family friend told PEOPLE that while she’s “not back to normal,” there are signs of “light at the end of the tunnel.”

“She has to get back to it,” a source close to the royal household told PEOPLE. “And she will if they leave her alone to solve it herself.”

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Source: HIS Education