Kate Middleton has opened up about her battle with cancer with a candid comment about a "really" difficult time.
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The Princess of Wales, 43, returned to public duties on Wednesday with a visit to Colchester Hospital in Essex, England, where she spoke candidly with staff, patients, and volunteers at the hospital’s Cancer Wellbeing Centre, cited by the Independent.
“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult,” the princess admitted.
“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.”
During her visit, the princess praised the center’s “holistic” approach to support, which includes counseling and dietary advice, and emphasized the impact cancer has on families as well as patients.
“It is a life-changing experience both for the individual patient, but also for the families as well – and actually it sometimes goes unrecognised, you don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time, you don’t appreciate how much impact it is going to have,” she told those gathered at the center.
Princess Catherine, who announced her cancer diagnosis in March last year, underwent “preventative chemotherapy” and confirmed on January 14 that she is officially in remission.
On the same day, she made a surprise visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she had received treatment.
While discussing the challenges of post-treatment recovery, the princess noted: “There is this whole phase when you finish your treatment that you, yourself, everybody expects you, right you’ve finished your time, go, you’re better, and that’s not the case at all.
“You have to find your new normal and that takes time… and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be. But the reality is you go through hard times,” she added.
Kate described how helpful it has been to talk through her experience in real-time with others who understand.
“And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable,” she said.
“Someone described the sort of healing, recovery journey to me as being like a sort of zig-zag,” Middleton continued.
“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 and to have a place like this, to have the support network, whether its through creativity and singing or gardening, whatever it might be, is so valuable and it’s great that this community has it.
“It would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support.”
During her visit, Kate planted coral-pink Catherine’s Rose plants in the hospital’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) wellbeing garden, which offers a restorative space for staff, patients, and visitors.
The RHS named the flower after her to raise awareness about the importance of spending time outdoors for physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.