The pictures Britain has been longing to see: Frame-by-frame, the glorious images of Kate as she makes her return to public life as she continues her brave battle against cancer

From the moment the Princess of Wales was first spotted on her way to Buckingham Palace this morning, the nation delighted in their first glimpses of her as she returned to royal duties for the first time in six months.

Kate relaxed as she smiled and waved to the delighted crowds – making a triumphant comeback to public life in a carriage procession for the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

Watching the spectacle from the Duke of Wellington’s former office with her children, her day then culminated with a joyous reunion with her father-in-law King Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

It was a huge relief for an anxious nation who had waited so long to see Kate after her last royal engagement at Christmas, with millions concerned about her wellbeing as she continues chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

The Princess joined what is a family occasion on the national stage – and kept a watchful eye on her children, but appeared to enjoy most of her first day in the spotlight following her diagnosis in February.

Kate and her husband Prince William were first seen today leaving Kensington Palace just before 10am with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to be driven towards central London.

As they arrived at Buckingham Palace at about 10.10am, Kate appeared pensive as she looked out of the window of their car while heavy rain fell.

Behind-the-scenes video footage filmed at Buckingham Palace showed Kate playing with Charlotte’s hair as they prepared to board the carriage without William, who was on horseback with Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

Then at 10.50am, the future Queen looked delighted and smiled as she was photographed travelling along The Mall, one of London’s most famous thoroughfares, with her family in the glass state coach.

Kate was seen smiling and waving, with her children also appearing animated at times – clearly pleased to be back on royal duties together after spending much of the year coming to terms with her diagnosis and treatment.

Kate’s appearance had been in doubt after she missed the final Trooping rehearsal last weekend, but with the King also suffering from cancer the spectacle of military pomp and pageantry became a symbolic statement by the monarchy after a period of uncertainty.

During the day Kate was surrounded by other members of the family, with William, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, on horseback along with Anne, Colonel of the Blues and Royals, and Edward, Colonel of the Scots Guards.

Kate was greeted by a sea of faces as the royal party turned from The Mall into Horse Guards Parade, with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence also together in a carriage.

The Duchess of Edinburgh travelled in a coach with her daughter Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and the Duke of Kent.

The royal party were in the midst of a sovereign’s mounted escort, formed by troops from the Household Cavalry’s Life Guards and Blues and Royals.

In the rear rank was Tennyson, one of the five horses injured when they ran through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise.

When the royal carriages finally came to a stop Louis was the first to leave, followed by his elder brother George and sister Charlotte.

Finally, Kate stepped down wearing a Jenny Packham dress, hat by Philip Treacy and the Irish Guards Regimental Brooch, as she is the regiment’s Colonel.

In a change from last year, Kate did not join senior family members on a dais, but watched the spectacle from the Duke of Wellington’s former office with her children.

The King also rode in a carriage with the Queen, a departure from last year because of his illness, and inspected the officers and guardsmen on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall from the coach rather than from a horse.

While watching the ceremony, Kate stood beside her children as the regiments, in red ceremonial dress, continued to parade. She could also be seen whispering in the ear of Charlotte as the band played.

Louis, six, was watching the parade intently until his attention turned to what appeared to be a blind cord in the building – and he was also seen yawning.

Louis could then be seen dancing along during the quick march of the Scots Guards to Highland Laddie.

Following the ceremony, the family left the building and got back into the carriage to join the royal procession back to Buckingham Palace just as heavy rain began falling in central London.

George, Charlotte and Louis stayed dry in the carriage with their mother.

Charlotte was seen waving enthusiastically and smiling to the crowds as they travelled back to the palace, while Kate and Louis also waved and smiled at onlookers.

Crowds cheered as the royal carriages travelled along The Mall, and Charlotte used her hand to clear the windows so the group could see out and be seen by well-wishers.

George was also seen smiling and waving to crowds.

Then, the flypast began at 1pm as senior royals came out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace to cheers from the thousands of spectators.

The King and Queen were followed by Kate and William and their children – and they were then joined by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh among others as the ‘slimmed-down monarchy’ took up their places to watch the RAF display.

Kate leaned over to speak to the King, who laughed at something she said – and the Royal Family then smiled and waved to crowds before standing proudly as the national anthem was played.

The King waved again to cheering crowds before heading inside the palace – and Kate and William and their children also waved before following the monarch from the balcony, completing the end of a no doubt emotional but successful day for the family.

Garrison Sergeant Major Stokes who helped plan Trooping, was among those who praised Kate today. He said: ‘I think it’s such a nice thing for the Princess of Wales to come and attend today.

‘It is probably the only day we see the entire royal family together in public and I think the royal family really appreciate the day as well – it’s the closest thing we get in the United Kingdom to a national day, so all of that makes it incredibly special.’

Kate and members of the royal family were cheered when they were first spotted in The Mall on their way to Trooping and Carol and Brian Haddow from Scotland were among thousands waiting to catch a glimpse of members of the monarchy.

Mrs Haddow said: ”Well, like anybody going through chemotherapy, it’s a big thing for her to come out and do this. We were a wee bit back but she looked fine, happy to be involved and she was with the kids.’

‘She said the royal family played an important part in ‘bringing in tourism’ to the country, adding: ‘It’s a great thing to have a king or queen.’

Another spectator, Joseph Afrane, 60, said of Kate’s return: ‘It was fantastic when I heard it on the news yesterday. I thought, ‘God, I thank you for bringing Kate back’, because she’s very hardworking.’

He added: ‘I mean, it shows that she’s very, very dedicated to the country, and then to the monarch and then to the other royals, you know.

‘She’s very, very down to earth and hardworking. And then she works on behalf of her family as well as the monarch. So, it’s good. It was great news. I saw her. She waved to me. She gave me a big wave.’

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams also hailed the return of Kate, telling MailOnline that it was ‘so moving at the end of the climactic balcony appearance’ when Kate stood next to the King, unlike last year when William was next to his father.

Mr Fitzwilliams added: ‘The image will go worldwide as it symbolises the resilience and the closeness of the royal family, which has been weakened by the King and Catherine fighting cancer.

‘They have reached out in an unprecedentedly open way to other cancer sufferers, as we saw in the Princess’s statement released yesterday.’

He said Kate ‘looked exquisite in Jenny Packham with a Philip Treacy hat’ and her appearance in a carriage so she could watch the parade from a balcony on Horse Guards Parade was ‘very welcome’.

Mr Fitzwilliams added: ‘It was magnificent ceremonially, with the King using a carriage to inspect his guards. Last year he was on horseback, but he has much increased his activities despite his cancer treatment and seemed to be enjoying himself.

‘It must however, have been stressful for both the King and Catherine to act as they did whilst the world watched. It all went off without a hitch.

‘The King, like the late Queen Elizabeth, is the expert on the parade. I feel she would have been proud of the way they carried it off so superbly.’

It comes after Kate said in a statement yesterday she was making ‘good progress’ with her treatment, but candidly added that she has ‘good days and bad days’ and although she has been working from home, said ‘I am not out of the woods yet’.

Support from the public has made a deep impression on the princess, who said she had been ‘blown away’ by the ‘kind messages’ that had made a ‘world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times’.

The military spectacle of Trooping the Colour, also known as the Birthday Parade is a gift from the Household Division.

Charles first attended in 1951, aged three, riding in a carriage with his grandmother, the Queen Mother, and aunt, Princess Margaret, and first rode as Colonel of the Welsh Guards in 1975.

Trooping the Colour is a social as well as a ceremonial occasion and the stands overlooking the parade ground were filled with about 8,000 spouses, girlfriends and parents of the guardsmen and officers on parade.

It featured more than 1,250 soldiers, and hundreds of Guardsmen lined up on the parade ground to be inspected by the King from his carriage with Camilla, Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and joined by the mounted royal Colonels.