Kate visits Royal Marsden Hospital to thank staff who looked after her during cancer treatment
The Princess of Wales has said cancer “makes you appreciate all the small things in life” as she met patients and staff at the hospital that treated her.
Kate had words of support – and hugs – for those dealing with the disease at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital.
She thanked medical teams during the visit – which was also the first confirmation of where she was treated.
As she arrived, the princess said it was nice to enter through the main entrance after “having made so many quiet, private visits”.
Kate met a woman wearing a cold cap, who was on her first day of treatment, and told several patients to try to keep “doing the things that give you joy”.
Pic: Reuters
Pic: PA
Pic: Reuters
Talking about a cancer diagnosis, Kate said: “It makes you appreciate all the small things in life that you take for granted.”
“It’s really tough,” she told one patient having chemotherapy. “It’s such a shock”.
She added: “It’s the uncertainty of that initial diagnosis.
“It’s such a wealth of information. Understanding the diagnosis, it’s a massive amount of information to take on as a patient.”
Kate said trying to stay positive had made “such a difference” – and that getting “loads of water and loads of sunlight” had helped her feel better.
The 43-year-old revealed in September she had finished chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer, calling the last six months “incredibly tough”.
In March 2024, the princess confirmed she was having preventative treatment after tests following abdominal surgery found cancer had been present.
The princess was also introduced to therapy dog Scout. Pic: PA
Kensington Palace said the princess had wanted to “show her gratitude to the incredible team, but also highlight the world-leading care and treatment the Marsden provides”.
During the visit, Kate said she was feeling well, but recalled the toll treatment can take, saying “sometimes you feel relatively well, and then you have another one”.
“Sometimes from the outside we all think you’ve finished treatment and you go back to things. But it’s hard to get back to normal,” she added.
As she left, she hugged a woman who appeared to be a visitor, assuring her there was “light at the end of that tunnel” and “you are in the best of hands”.
Prince William praised his wife’s strength last week as he shared a picture to mark her birthday and called her “the most incredible wife and mother”.
He added: “The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W.”
William previously described 2024 as “brutal” and probably “the hardest year” of his life after the King was also diagnosed with cancer.
Kate will now join Prince William as a royal patron of the Royal Marsden – a leading specialist cancer hospital that treats more than 59,000 patients every year.
Despite today’s hospital visit, Kensington Palace stressed the princess’s return to public-facing duties would continue to take place gradually.
“Today was about visiting the Marsden to reflect on her own personal journey,” a spokesperson said.
A woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has pleaded not guilty to stalking the missing girl’s parents.
Julia Wandel, 23, is accused of making calls, leaving voicemails, and sending a letter and WhatsApp messages to Kate and Gerry McCann.
Wandel, from southwest Poland, is also accused of turning up at their family home on two occasions last year and sending Instagram messages to Sean and Amelie McCann, Madeleine’s brother and sister.
It is alleged she caused serious alarm or distress to the family between June 2022 and February this year when she was arrested at Bristol Airport.
She claimed to be Madeleine on Instagram in 2023, but a DNA test showed she was Polish.
Karen Spragg, 60, who is alleged to have made calls, sent letters and attended the home address of Mr and Mrs McCann, also denied a charge of stalking at Leicester Magistrates’ Court.
Wandel was remanded back into custody while Spragg, from Caerau in Cardiff, was granted conditional bail.
Both women are due to appear at Leicester Crown Court for trial on 2 October.
Karen Spragg arriving at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. Pic: PA
Madeleine’s disappearance has become one of the world’s most mysterious missing child cases.
She was last seen in Portugal’s Algarve in 2007 while on holiday with her family.
Her parents had left her in bed with her twin siblings while they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant in Praia da Luz when the then three-year-old disappeared on 3 May.
A man suspected of kidnapping Madeleine will not face any charges in the foreseeable future, a prosecutor told Sky News earlier this year.
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