Following Kate Middleton’s back-to-back appearances at Nov. 9’s Festival of Remembrance and Nov. 10’s Remembrance Sunday, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE that the Princess of Wales is coming back to royal duty “in her own way and at her own pace.

In March, Kate confirmed she had been diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer. What followed was a nine-month battle as she underwent “preventative chemotherapy”. She endured intense online speculation in the weeks leading up to the public announcement and has largely stayed out of the spotlight since.

The sentimental gesture was a rare display of PDA from the Prince of Wales, 42, who described 2024 as "brutal" and the "hardest year" of his life as his wife, Princess Kate, and his father, King Charles, were each diagnosed with cancer.