The Princess of Wales has taken to her and Prince William’s official social media pages to release a rare personal message relating to one of her much-loved causes
The Princess of Wales has issued a rare personal message relating to her work duties amid her recovery following her cancer diagnosis.
Kate has only made several puplic appearances this year following her major abdominal surgery in January and her cancer diagnosis, which she revealed in March. She has been undergoing preventative chemotherapy and it is not yet known when she will return to more regular royal duties.
However, today, Kate did take to her and Prince William’s official X page to issue a statement about an organisation close to her heart – and how she’s looking forward to working with them in the future.
In her role as joint president of the the Scout Association, she revealed how she is “looking forward” to working with the UK’s new chief scout, Dwayne Fields. She said: “said: “Delighted to welcome @DwayneFields as the new UK chief scout.
“The Scouts is such an incredible organisation, teaching #SkillsForLife and making a huge difference to young people across the country. Looking forward to working with you! C” The C denotes that it is a personal message from Kate herself. She has been joint president of the Scouts Association for many years alongside the Duke of Kent, and is the first female to hold the post.
Last year in the days after King Charles’ Coronation, Kate memorably took William and their three children to a Scouts hut in Slough where they got stuck in helping to renovate their facilities.
Kate began her support for Scouts as a volunteer while living on Anglesey and has been “a great friend” of the movement, according to the organisation’s website. Born in Jamaica, Mr Fields came to the UK at the age of six. He grew up in inner city London without access to nature and said the Scouts made a “huge difference” to his life.
Mr Fields said: “It’s absolutely a sense of honour (to be appointed) – initially disbelief, followed by a huge sense of pride in something that’s made a huge difference to my life. I remember being seven years old and walking into that Cub Scouts hut in Palmers Green in north London, and I never thought I belonged anywhere until the moment I walked into that hut. And now to be given this role as chief scout, to me it’s pride of place, really. It’s the fact that other young people can look at me and say, ‘Well, actually, that guy started exactly where I am’..”
The 41-year-old was formally invested as chief scout on Thursday at Scout Park in north-east London where he spent time in Cub Scouts as a child. Chief scouts are appointed for a five-year tenure but may serve for a longer period. Mr Fields will be the 11th person to hold the title.
Since revealing her health challenges, Kate has been largely absent from public life. She was last seen several weeks ago with husband William, their children and the rest of the Royal Family as they headed to Crathie Kirk near Balmoral during their annual summer holiday.
She also attended the mens final at Wimbledon in July, where she presented the trophy to Carlos Alcaraz and made her triumphant return after her diagnosis at Trooping the Colour in June. In a statement before that, she candidly spoke about her recovery.
She explained: “I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” the princess said. “On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.
“My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months. On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.” Kate’s message today comes just a day after her husband William returned to work following the summer break and with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis back at school.
Yesterday, he thanked artists for taking part in a groundbreaking homelessness exhibition as he sported his summer beard in public for the first time. William debuted his new look in an online video with Kate in August, when they praised the achievements of the nation’s athletes after the Paris Olympics.
The stubble was still in place as he toured Homelessness: Reframed, an exhibition at London Saatchi Gallery, which aims to give a fresh perspective on the issue, with sculptures, photographs and everyday objects given a new life by artists who may have slept rough.