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

Kate Middleton wearing a striped tan shirt and blazer — (Image credit: Getty Images)

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."

Kate Middleton wearing brown pants and a tan blazer in a hospital garden — The Princess of Wales spent time in the hospital's RHS Wellbeing Garden.

Kate Middleton planting roses in a tan blazer — The princess planted the roses named after during the visit.

Kate Middleton taking a selfie with a woman in a pink hoodie — She stopped for a selfie with several people in the hospital garden.

"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.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.