Kate Middleton just got her first taste of being queen as she stepped into Camilla’s shoes to save the day

This past weekend was one of Remembrance, as the U.K. and countries of the Commonwealth marked days of remembrance for those who fought and died during the First and Second World Wars and later conflicts. For Kate Middleton, it was also a good first look at what it really means to be queen.

Queen Camilla was expected to be the senior female Royal at many of the weekend’s Remembrance events, but she had to pull out due to a chest infection, with worries that she could infect the King. Camilla’s “great disappointment” left a queen-sized gap in the calendar, so it was up to Kate to squeeze into Camilla’s royal slippers and do her duty for the Crown instead.

Charles attended both the Festival of Remembrance and the all-important Sunday service at the Cenotaph despite worries about his “frail” appearance. Many royal fans were more interested in Kate, as she has made far fewer public appearances than King Charles, who, like her, is battling cancer.

Appearing on the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office overlooking the Palace of Whitehall, the Princess of Wales looked well. Wearing three poppies to commemorate the deaths of her three great-granduncles during the First World War, Kate was the senior Royal in attendance at the balcony. She watched as her husband, Prince William, and the king laid wreaths upon the Cenotaph monument.

The Remembrance appearances are her first appearances since her cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the princess was pictured at the Festival of Remembrance event with other members of the Royal Family in the royal box. The success of the events is sure to be a relief to Kate, whose year has been plagued by health worries and whose appearance at the events was announced only last week.

Kate’s husband, William, must be pleased that the Sunday event went smoothly, as he recently broke his traditional silence and gave a heartfelt interview discussing a “brutal” year for the family and his wife in particular. And for Kate, this event offers a rare glimpse into her own future. With an elderly king and queen in ill health, William and Kate have been taking on more royal responsibilities to pick up the slack.

After her cancer diagnosis and treatment, royal sources have suggested that Kate has changed priorities towards royal engagements, preferring to make a smaller number of more impactful appearances. Remembrance events are certainly more impactful, and this is perhaps in keeping with Kate’s newfound spirituality. But the problem for the Princess of Wales is that when she becomes Queen Consort, the eyes of 14 kingdoms — and the world — will be on her in a way they never have before. Personal feelings and convictions often must be tossed aside in service of the Crown.

But this year, marred though it has been by family dramas and serious health complications, has marked something of a turning point for the monarchy. Charles has taken the opportunity to break traditional royal secrecy to build “emotional connections” with the Royal Family, while even William has been more emotionally available. If Kate is really interested in charting her own, different, course, perhaps now is the perfect time.