Princess Kate Gets Candid About Life After Cancer Treatment and Struggling to "Function Normally at Home"

Kate Middleton wearing a striped tan shirt and blazer .

The Princess of Wales has been prioritizing family life and recovering from her battle with cancer over the past year, and on Wednesday, July 2, she made some rare comments about how her life has been impacted by the disease. The 43-year-old royal spoke with a group at Colchester Hospital's Cancer Wellbeing Centre during a surprise appearance in Essex, England—and she admitted that a patient's cancer journey is far from over once treatment ends.

In a video shared by Hello! on Instagram, the Princess of Wales said, "You know, post treatment as well, 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."

Kate, who abruptly backed out of an appearance at Royal Ascot last month, added that support in the period after treatment is crucial. "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," she continued. "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."

The Princess of Wales spent time in the hospital's RHS Wellbeing Garden. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The princess planted the roses named after during the visit. (Image credit: Getty Images)

She stopped for a selfie with several people in the hospital garden. (Image credit: Getty Images)

"You have to find your new normal and that takes time," Kate said during her visit, adding that life post-cancer is "a roller coaster, it's not smooth, like you expect it to be."

The Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024 after going in for a planned abdominal surgery in January of that year.

Kate—dressed in a striped tan blazer, coordinating striped Ralph Lauren button-up and brown trousers with Veja sneakers—also got to work in the hospital's RHS Wellbeing Garden despite the rain, planting some very personal flowers in the process.

The Princess of Wales helped plant some of the "Catherine's Rose" bushes that were donated to the hospital, with the coral-hued flower named in her honor. According to Kensington Palace, the princess wanted to raise awareness of "the incredible healing power of nature" by visiting the garden.