Kate Middleton is in remission from cancer, but she’s not back to her old life yet. During an unannounced visit to Colchester Hospital’s RHS Wellbeing Garden on July 2nd, the Princess of Wales spoke honestly about her recovery challenges. “I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days. On those bad days, you feel weak, tired, and you have to give in to your body resting.” She shared truths that many cancer families experience but rarely hear from the pubic.
The Reality Behind Kate Middleton’s ‘Brave Face’ to Cancer
“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment,” Kate Middleton said during conversations with cancer patients and hospital staff. “Treatment’s done, then it’s like, I can crack on, get back to normal, but the phase afterwards is really difficult.”
The visit was Kate’s first public engagement since the Garter Day procession on June 16. While she’s continued working privately, including a recent meeting with Melinda French Gates at Windsor Castle on global health initiatives, this return to public duties shows she’s ready to use her platform differently.
Kate announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024 and underwent chemotherapy. She declared herself in remission this January. At Colchester Hospital, she described the period after treatment as harder than expected. Her own experience made her determined to address this gap in support.
What Cancer Recovery Taught Her
“You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to,” she explained. When children need their routines maintained while parents struggle to find their footing again, this reality hits families hard.
Kate described recovery using a metaphor that many families can relate to. “It’s a rollercoaster. It’s not one smooth plain, which you expect it to be, but the reality is it’s not. You go through hard times.”
Her willingness to share these struggles marks a change from the protective privacy that characterized her treatment period. Palace statements once focused on progress and optimism, but she now acknowledges the harder reality of recovery.
The Hidden Impact on Entire Families
Speaking with both patients and hospital staff, Kate expanded on how cancer affects families beyond the patient. “It is a life-changing experience both for the individual patient and for the families as well,” she explained. “It sometimes goes unrecognized. You don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time, appreciate how much impact it is going to have. You have to find your new normal, and that takes time.”
Why Community Support Makes All the Difference
Kate Middleton expressed the importance of support systems that go beyond medical care. Community networks can helpfamilies when formal treatment ends. She praised programs that address the emotional and practical challenges of returning to daily life.
“To have a place like this, to have the support network, whether it’s through creativity and singing or gardening, whatever it might be, is so valuable,” She explained. “It’s great that this community has it. It would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support.”
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A Symbol of Hope in the Hospital Garden
During the visit, Kate met with award-winning garden designer Adam Frost and planted coral-pink roses in the hospital’s garden, a space designed to support patient healing. The moment held special meaning as the roses were named ‘Catherine’s Rose’ by the Royal Horticultural Society, with their “rich perfume with hints of Turkish delight and mango.” Proceeds support the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, where Kate received her treatment.
Around 500 plants will go to locations across the United Kingdom, including centers that offer free cancer support, children’s hospices for grieving families, and spinal injury rehabilitation gardens. Fifty plants arrived at Colchester Hospital this week, with the full roses available for purchase at £29.99 ($40) for bare root plants and £34.99 ($47) for potted versions.
She told a chief scout, “During my recovery, I spent a lot of time in the outdoors because that’s where I felt at peace. The network represents the kind of community support Kate believes should be available everywhere, especially after she discovered how much healing she found in nature herself. “
Building a Legacy Beyond Treatment
The hospital garden was created through NHS Charities Together, which Kate and Prince William both support as part of their focus on mental health and wellbeing.
By speaking honestly about her cancer recovery challenges, Kate Middleton helps other families to voice their struggles without shame. By admitting that she still can’t “function normally” months after completing treatment, she is modeling a different kind of strength that doesn’t need immediate recovery.
Healing takes time, support matters, and the phase after treatment often proves more difficult than anyone expects. By using her platform to address these realities, Kate is helping to fill the support gap she discovered in her recovery journey.
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