The Princess of Wales openly discussed her “life-changing” cancer journey and “rollercoaster” recovery on a visit to an Essex hospital.
Speaking at Colchester Hospital, Kate Middleton revealed the toll cancer takes on family and friends.
“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,” the princess told a group of users, volunteers and staff at the Cancer Wellbeing Centre.
The princess was diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer in March last year, in the same year as the King was also diagnosed with cancer.
After the diagnosis, she faced a nine-month battle and underwent “preventative chemotherapy”.
On 14 January, she confirmed that she is officially in remission for cancer, on the same day that she made a surprise visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was treated.
On her recent visit to the Essex hospital, the princess praised the centre’s “holistic” approach to the support it offers patients, relatives and carers, which includes counselling and dietary advice.
“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,” she added.
“You have to find your new normal and that takes time.”
After visiting the centre, the princess planted several 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 people’s physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
Discussing her rollercoaster healing journey, the princess added that a support network is invaluable.
“Someone described the sort of healing, recovery journey to me as being like a sort of zig-zag,” she said.
“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.”
Proceeds from the sale of Catherine’s Rose, bred by Harkness Roses, will support a national training programme for clinical teams to help patients who need intensive support live well with and after cancer.
Harkness Roses and Kensington Palace are donating 500 roses to wellbeing and community gardens across the UK this summer.
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