Princess Kate has shown why she is so vital to the royal family  

The news that the Princess of Wales has been able to return to public-facing duties is both hugely welcome and, after a lengthy period out of the limelight due to her cancer diagnosis, a reminder that she remains the most dutiful and committed of all the members of the royal family. 

Yet her first official engagement after her cancer diagnosis was no soft or easy commitment. Instead, she took on a challenging and emotionally demanding responsibility, namely heading to Southport to meet the families of those who were injured or killed in July’s atrocity in the town. 

The Princess has often been regarded as the Firm’s most obviously empathetic and socially engaged member, not least because her background is far humbler than the grand circles that she now moves in. The message that the Prince and Princess put out on social media at the time of the attack could not have failed to move.