The event on Nov. 10 “brought it home to me how slimmed down the monarchy is,” Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson tells PEOPLE
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Prince George of Wales looks on prior to the UEFA EURO 2024 final match between Spain and England at Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany
Prince George is just a preteen, but it potentially won’t be long before he joins members of the royal family on the balcony for events like Remembrance Sunday.
According to Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth, she wouldn’t be surprised to see the 11-year-old future king standing beside his mother, Kate Middleton, on Remembrance Sunday. (The couple are also parents to Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.)
His father, Prince William, also takes part in the moving service held annually on the second Sunday in November, but the Prince of Wales, 42, is on the ground at The Cenotaph war memorial as Kate traditionally stands on the Foreign Office balcony, observing the day’s events from above.
“I’m sure there will be a time in the not-too-distant future when Prince George will be up there,” Anderson tells PEOPLE.
Though that didn’t happen this year, on Nov. 9 Kate, 42, made a big return to public duty by appearing alongside William and other members of the royal family at the Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall.
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Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) attend “The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance” ceremony at Royal Albert Hall, in London, on Nov. 9, 2024 as part of the Remembrance Day commemorating the end of World War I
Related: Kate Middleton’s Festival of Remembrance Look Featured Deeper Meaning: Inside Her Style
“She was clearly appreciative of the reception she got,” Anderson says, adding that Kate seemed happy on Saturday night.
“It is more of a celebratory event,” she says. “She looked happy and relaxed. She must be fully aware that people might have noticed any show of discomfort, but she was glowing, actually.”
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Catherine, Princess of Wales (R) arrives to attend “The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance” ceremony at Royal Albert Hall, in London, on Nov. 9, 2024 as part of the Remembrance Day commemorating the end of World War I
The next morning, the Princess of Wales joined Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh on the balcony at the Foreign Office for Remembrance Sunday and a ceremony at The Cenotaph war memorial. Anderson says that the Festival of Remembrance and Remembrance Sunday “are such key dates in the royal family calendar” and that “It would have been a comfort for William to have her there. And for the children to see her supporting their father. It’s a really good message to them.”
“William served in the military, and he must have taken solace today, having her on the balcony supporting him,” Anderson tells PEOPLE on Nov. 10. “It was quite poignant having just her and the Duchess of Edinburgh on the balcony. It brought it home to me how slimmed down the monarchy is.”
Kate and Sophie would have been joined by Queen Camilla, but Buckingham Palace announced on Nov. 5 that she was ill with a chest infection. The palace followed up on Nov. 8 with the news that the Queen would miss all Remembrance events over the weekend as she continued her recovery.
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Queen Camilla and Catherine, Princess of Wales during the National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph on Nov. 12, 2023 in London, England
Sunday’s event was “far more solemn” than the prior night’s Festival of Remembrance, but Kate has never missed a Remembrance Sunday since marrying into the royal family 13 years ago.
“It was cold out there,” Anderson says. “It was chilly in London. She was clearly determined to be there.”
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For the Princess of Wales, attending staples in the royal calendar like Remembrance events and June’s Trooping the Colour — her first major public appearance since announcing on March 22 that she had been diagnosed with cancer — would have helped her get back into the rhythm of the year.
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Catherine, Princess of Wales smiles as she stands from the balcony during the National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph on Nov. 10, 2024 in London, England
“When your life has been thrown into a tailspin, doing these events which are part of the royal calendar does help make you think, both mentally as well as physically, that I am on the road to getting better,” Anderson says.
“She has been out of action for most of the year,” she continues. “So, I hope it is a reassuring message that things are slowly getting back to a semblance of normality.”