Kate Middleton has made an emotional visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London to personally thank staff who took care of her during her cancer treatment last year.
Dressed in a long brown checkered coat atop a maxi burgundy dress, the Princess of Wales, 43, spoke to doctors, nurses and other patients at the hospital Tuesday.
The outing marked her first major solo engagement in more than a year.
“I was just saying, coming in the front entrance here, having made so many quiet, private visits, actually it’s quite nice,” the mom of three was heard saying upon arrival.
The beloved royal then sat down with a woman who was undergoing chemotherapy as she asked her, “When did you first start treatment? Oh, today? How are you finding it?”
Kate Middleton visited the Royal Marsden Hospital in London to personally thank staff who took care of her during her cancer treatment last year. via REUTERSAdditionally, she described the long-term effects following her private cancer journey.
“It’s really tough… It’s such a shock… Everyone said to me, ‘please keep a positive mindset, it makes such a difference,'” she said, per the BBC.
“You think the treatment has finished and you can crack on and get back to normal, but that’s still a real challenge. The words totally disappear. And understanding that as a patient — yes, there are side effects around treatment, but actually there are more long-term side effects.”
The Princess of Wales, 43, spoke to doctors, nurses and other patients at the hospital Tuesday. Getty ImagesShe added: “The body is amazing at telling us ‘you need to take time out.'”
Asked how she was feeling, she added: “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.”
It had not been previously disclosed that the princess underwent cancer treatment at the Royal Marsden — located less than a 10-minute drive away from Kensington Palace.
“We were honored to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales to The Royal Marsden in Chelsea this morning, and are delighted that Her Royal Highness is now joining His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in becoming Joint Patrons of our specialist cancer center,” Dame Cally Palmer, Chief Executive of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, told The Post in a statement.
The outing marked her first major solo engagement in more than a year. Getty Images“We are incredibly fortunate to receive Royal Patronage – it is inspiring for staff and patients and enables us to shine a light on the outstanding work our staff deliver every day for patients and their families,” she added.
“The princess wanted to make the journey to both show her gratitude to the incredible team, but also highlight the world-leading care and treatment the Marsden provides,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson told The Post.
During the outing, it was announced that Middleton had been appointed the royal patron on the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, joining her husband Prince William.
It had not been previously disclosed that the princess underwent cancer treatment at the Royal Marsden — located less than a 10-minute drive away from Kensington Palace. via REUTERS
During the outing, it was announced that Middleton had been appointed the royal patron on the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Getty ImagesThe title takes after William’s late mother, Princess Diana, who once held the patronage before her untimely death in 1997.
While Middleton underwent cancer treatment at the Royal Marsden hospital, she was initially admitted into the London Clinic in January 2024 for a planned abdominal surgery.
However, after her stint under the watchful eye of doctors and nurses, it emerged that a staffer had allegedly breached her medical records, prompting an official investigation to take place.
It comes after it emerged that Princess Catherine will ease into 2025 by taking on a fraction of the public-facing duties that she would typically have on her calendar.
“I was just saying, coming in the front entrance here, having made so many quiet, private visits, actually it’s quite nice,” Middleton said upon arrival. APSources told the Daily Mail that the mom of three “simply won’t be going back to work in the same way as before” her cancer diagnosis, which she revealed to the world in March 2024.
Currently, the princess’ diary does not include any full-scale foreign tours, and it will be a while before she returns to the royal fold in full — given that her cancer recovery remains on track.






