Princess Kate A New Chapter in Remission

FACING A TURNING POINT IN HER CANCER JOURNEY, THE PRINCESS OF WALES REFLECTS ON EMBRACING HER ‘NEW NORMAL’ WITH HER FAMILY BY HER SIDE—AND LOOKING AHEAD

- SIMON PERRY and MONIQUE JESSEN

For much of 2024 Princess Kate slipped quietly through a secluded door at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. Shielded from the world, she attended her regular chemotherapy sessions away from the public eye—a necessity given her role as the future Queen of England. It was a lonely path, navigated in private during the most challenging year of her life. After being diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer following serious abdominal surgery on Jan. 16, 2024, the Princess of Wales, 43, kept her illness confidential for several weeks as she and Prince William, 42, worked to process the enormity of the news and explain it to their children: Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.

But one year later, on Jan. 14, Kate walked confidently through the hospital’s front entrance for the first time. She returned not only as a woman in remission but also as an advocate for those still in the midst of their fight. Initially scheduled to be there for an hour, Kate extended her visit by 20 minutes as she met with patients and staff, offering hugs and sincere advice. For lung cancer patient Angela Terry, 71, Kate’s “gentle eye contact” and compassionate touch left a lasting impression. “The level of connection she makes with each and every person she meets is phenomenal,” she tells People. Kate also reassured patient Rebecca Mendlesohn, 57, telling her, “It will get better. There is light at the end of the tunnel. You’re in the best hands.”