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By CNN Royal Correspondent Max Foster, Billy Stockwell and Kathy Rose O'Brien in London

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Next week, Catherine, Princess of Wales is set to make her biggest return to royal duties since revealing that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment earlier this year.

Kate, 42, will join her husband and heir to the throne, Prince William, in welcoming the Emir of Qatar to the United Kingdom on Tuesday – the first day of the emir’s two-day state visit to the nation, according to Buckingham Palace.

It’s a welcome signal if we remember that the Princess of Wales was forced to skip a state visit by the Emperor and Empress of Japan in June as she was undergoing chemotherapy. 

Her central role in the upcoming visit will be seen by many as a significant marker of her strong recovery, following her announcement in September of a phased return to duties.

During the state visit, William and Kate are expected to greet Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, accompanied by his wife Sheikha Jawaher, on Tuesday morning, before traveling to Horse Guards Parade in St. James’s Park for a ceremonial welcome and rendition of the Qatari national anthem. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla will then join the four royals in a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, which will be decorated with dozens of flags of the nation being hosted. Processions like these are typically escorted by mounted soldiers from the Household Cavalry.

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The extravagant procession will be followed by lunch at Buckingham Palace and a cultural exhibition.  

The exhibition, arranged by the Royal Collection Trust and Turquoise Mountain Foundation – an organization founded by King Charles in 2006, when he was Prince of Wales, to protect cultural heritage at risk around the world – will display items relating to Qatar.  

In the afternoon, the emir and Sheikha Jawaher will be given a tour of Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster, where they will meet members of Britain’s House of Lords and members of parliament. 

It’s also worth remembering that Kate is taking each day as it comes and while she is expected to be present, her appearances may be reduced on the day. 

One event we know Kate will not be attending is the state banquet on Tuesday evening, where King Charles and the emir will give speeches. Usually, around 150 VIPs with cultural and diplomatic ties to the country being honored are invited to the soiree.

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Kate’s planned absence from the white-tie affair shouldn’t be cause for alarm, though. 

She also missed the annual Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace last week, which was held to celebrate foreign diplomats in London. 

Despite her absence from the get-together, a royal source described Kate’s upcoming engagements as “good news.”   

She will round off the week by hosting her annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey on Friday evening, which will focus on “how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives.”

The princess has invited children who survived the stabbing attack in Southport earlier this year, and their families, to the concert, Kensington Palace confirmed to CNN on Thursday.

Prince William joins army live firing exercise. 

Covered head-to-toe in camouflage gear, Prince William tested out his drone-flying skills on Tuesday during a visit to Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, southwest England. At the military training area, William spoke to the Welsh Guards – a regiment that has been closely involved in many royal events, including the late Queen’s funeral and the coronation of King Charles – about how they are navigating the transition back to non-ceremonial duties. The regiment, of which William became colonel last year, is now focusing on regrowing its specialist weapons capabilities, including the use of drones, according to Kensington Palace. At the firing range, William also took the opportunity to show off his aptitude for shooting, firing a “full belt” of 200 rounds from a machine gun, according to Britain’s PA Media news agency. “He was firing about 800 meters and did well hitting the target,” the regiment’s machine gun platoon commander said, adding that the royal visit was "very special.”

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Duchess of Edinburgh’s new role.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh has taken up a new role as patron of the UK branch of Plan International, a children’s charity working in 80 countries around the world to improve girls’ rights and children’s access to education. It’s a great fit for the duchess, who this year became the first member of the royal family to officially visit Chad, to explore the impact of the war in neighboring Sudan on women and girls. She also visited Ukraine in April, the first royal to do so since the start of Russia’s invasion. Her new patronage was announced on Monday – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. “The Duchess is demonstrating the power of standing with girls around the world, so they can create change in their own lives and beyond,” Rose Caldwell, CEO of Plan International UK, said in a statement. Also this week, Sophie attended a panel discussion at the UK’s Foreign Office about the devastating impact ISIS has wreaked on the Yazidi community in Northern Iraq, during which she spoke to survivor Awaz Abdi about how her family have been affected.

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The Princess of Wales has welcomed the progress made to “end the stigma” faced by those battling addiction, in a heartfelt message released Friday in support of Addiction Awareness Week, which runs from November 30 to December 7. “Everyone suffering from addiction is another human being, with a story of their own, which many of us don’t understand or see,” she said. Kate, who is patron of the Forward Trust – a charity that supports people in breaking the cycle of addiction – said addiction is a serious mental health problem that “could affect any one of us.” She added: “It is not our place to judge or criticize, we must take the time to sit by someone’s side, learning the values of love and empathy.”

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Jokes and laughter were free-flowing last Friday night at the glitzy Royal Variety Performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. After the show, King Charles met A-listers and performers including Elton John, British comedian Alan Carr and Amanda Holden, a judge on ITV’s “Britain's Got Talent.” Queen Camilla had to skip the event due to her recent chest infection.

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Prince William spoke of his eagerness to return to the Middle East on Monday as he launched a new expedition to celebrate Oman’s natural heritage and biodiversity. The trip, called the “Jewel of Arabia Expedition,” launched at the Royal Geographical Society in central London. “The expedition will walk in the footsteps of British explorer Bertram Thomas, taking in the wonderful coastline of Oman,” Prince William said at the launch, according to PA. “They will be able to see the beauty of Oman but also the damage done by climate change.” The journey will be undertaken by a crew of six, who will use social media to document Oman’s rich biodiversity. William spoke of his desire to return to Oman, saying: “We’ll make something happen.” The prince, who has been made co-patron of the expedition alongside Theyazin bin Haitham, heir to the Omani throne, last traveled to the nation in 2019.

"I want my children to live in a world where swallows still migrate, gorillas still live in the cloud forests of Uganda and rhinos still roam the arid rangelands of Namibia."

– Prince William

During a speech at the 2024 Tusk Awards, William recognized the “remarkable people” who work on the frontline of African conservation. The prince paid tribute to wildlife ranger Anton Mzimba, who was assassinated in South Africa for protecting the biodiversity of his country, and highlighted the plight of some 1,400 rangers who have been killed across the world in the past decade.

CNN's Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed to this newsletter.