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Woman & Home
Woman & Home
Lifestyle
Emily Andrews

Kate Middleton's 'very much back' - and reminded us exactly why she's 'a true princess of hearts'

A comp image of Kate Middleton attending Order of the Garter Service, with two cut out images from her visit to the Christie cancer care hospital on the left.

If, like me, you've been touched by cancer, the recent engagements by Catherine, Princess of Wales will have brought a tear to your eye.

One in two of us will be diagnosed with it in our lifetimes, and most of us have family or friends who have undergone this arduous journey.

Catherine, of course, is in remission from her cancer (she's never said what kind she had), which was caught in January 2024. She underwent chemotherapy, then took a period of time of rest and recovery over the past couple of years.

(Image credit: Andy Stenning / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Now I'd say Kate is very much back!

And she has really used her personal experience to connect with people in a totally authentic and genuine way.

On a visit to The Christie hospital in Manchester she was almost overcome as she hugged Claire Lorente, 30, who had recently finished her breast cancer treatment. As Claire prepared for the symbolic action of ringing the bell to mark the moment, both women were emotional.

Her voice slightly breaking, Kate told her, 'Well done, well done you. What a journey. Well done, you've been amazing. It's tough.'

'As ever with Kate, it was not about her'

Claire was crying. She was not the only one.

Kate turned to Claire's partner Pablo, 30, and added, 'Well done. I know it's just as hard for family and loved ones.'

The princess certainly does know that. She talked about how hard it had been for her children - Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight - as well as her parents.

But, as ever with Kate, it was not about her. She stepped back and made sure the moment was all about Claire, Pablo and Enzo, their eight-month-old baby.

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

A photo posted by on

Later, she wrote on social media, 'Healing is about so much more than treatment alone. A cancer diagnosis affects every part of life, in mind, body and the deeper part of ourselves. Thank you for sharing your stories with me. C'

At a Cancer Research UK reception two days earlier - in a heart-print red dress - it wasn't just the celebrities she chatted to.

Yes, the pictures of her meeting Davina McCall and Ronan Keating made the front pages, but Kate sought out the clinicians, researchers and scientists who are finding new ways to fight this disease.

She was there to support the King, who is still receiving treatment for his cancer, although at a much more reduced rate than last year.

In her own quiet way, Kate brings so much comfort to so many people - a true princess of hearts.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

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