Ex-BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond says Kate Middleton message was big clue

Kate stunned on parade during Trooping the Colour

The cheers said it all: “We’ve got our ­Princess back!”

Not full-time and not yet fully recovered – but on parade, and looking stunning. The crowds who had been waiting along the length of The Mall since early morning got their reward when they saw Catherine back where she belongs, immediately behind the King and Queen, and in charge of her little brood.

For George, Charlotte and Louis, this was another marker in what must be a difficult and confusing time. They are getting used to being on public show, but to have Mum there to guide them through the protocol of a big occasion must have made life feel almost normal again.

Trooping was the perfect event for Catherine to make an appearance – it combines the grand ceremonial Britain is renowned for, with a family get-together to celebrate the monarch. And although it is officially the King’s day, there is no doubt that Charles was more than delighted to let his “beloved” daughter-in-law share the limelight.

And Catherine was showing her commitment not only to the monarchy, but to her position as Colonel of the Irish Guards. She was unable to attend their rehearsal for Trooping but sent a telling message saying she hoped to represent them “very soon”. It was the first clue that she might be feeling well enough to take her place at the ceremony itself.

And then the Princess took us all by surprise with her frank statement about her progress. Far from a brief announcement that she would join the parade, she explained in some detail how hard the past couple of months have been for her. Aligning herself with other people having chemotherapy, she talked about the good days – and the bad, when you feel weak and tired.

We now know that she has been able to engage with school life when she is feeling well, and has even taken on a limited amount of work from home. But, like other people with a cancer diagnosis, she acknowledges that the treatment comes with the uncertainty of not knowing how you will feel from day to day. And, with candour, she says she is not “out of the woods” yet.

Her words will resonate with the hundreds of thousands of people in the UK dealing with cancer, many of whom have been sharing their stories with Catherine. In all of this, we should not forget that the King is himself still navigating the woods of his own cancer treatment.

Riding in a carriage instead of on horseback – his concession to the disease and, perhaps, to his age – showed that for once, he was “doing as he was told”. That is something his long-suffering wife Camilla has said she has been struggling with. As the King and Queen – and then Catherine and her family – walked on to the Buckingham Palace balcony, the crowds roared in approval.

Here were the Royals getting back on track after a shockingly alarming start to the year. The King has remained determinedly visible throughout his treatment and is now taking on a considerable number of engagements. And the Princess has shown us all that she is “making good progress” and might be able to attend further events in the coming months. Meanwhile, we too shall have to be patient – just like her – while her body continues to heal and her strength returns.