Kate Middleton is embracing a “new normal” after learning that her cancer is in remission. Life after the illness means a different outlook on goals and priorities, but the princess is ready to “draw a line under the last year” and “move forward.”
A source close to the royal family spoke to People about Kate’s plans for the future as she recovers from cancer treatment, saying that her journey with the disease was a “rough road” and “harder than we perhaps thought.” The 43-year-old announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer in a March 2024 video, following months of conspiracy theories triggered by her sudden disappearance from the public.
Nearly a year later, on Jan. 14, Kate let the world know that she was in remission and looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. 2025, this source says, will involve a gradual return to royal duties, which she will keep at a “similar pace to what she embraced” at the tail end of 2024. A recent visit to The Royal Marsden oncology hospital, where she was treated, marked her first solo outing since 2023.
While speaking to other cancer patients during that engagement, the princess opened up about the difficulties of carrying on after treatment. “You think the treatment has finished and you can crack on and get back to normal, but that’s still a real challenge. The words totally disappear,” she confessed, adding that beyond the immediate side effects of chemotherapy, it’s important to understand that “there are more long-term side effects.”
According to the insider, family is Kate’s foremost priority. The mother of three — Prince George, born in 2013, Princess Charlotte, born in 2015, and Prince Louis, born in 2018 — has reportedly grown closer to husband Prince William throughout the experience. The two now speak more openly about their feelings and their relationship, which has become deeper than ever, per People.
In a sweet message for Kate’s birthday, on Jan. 9, the prince called her “the most incredible wife and mother” and praised her “remarkable” strength. “George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you… We love you,” William wrote.
Career wise, Kate is now reevaluating her purpose and what she wants to do with her life, the royal insider claims. And that includes becoming Joint Patron of The Royal Marsden.
“My hope is, that by supporting groundbreaking research and clinical excellence, as well as promoting patient and family wellbeing, we might save many more lives, and transform the experience of all those impacted by cancer,” the princess said in her statement.
The hospital, founded in 1851, was the first in the world to be entirely focused on cancer treatment and research, and has always had close ties to the royal family. The Prince of Wales has been the president of the Royal Marsden since 2007, a role previously held by his mother, Princess Diana, between 1989 and her premature death in 1997. The media is now comparing Kate to Diana over the way they both bonded with the people working and getting treated at the trailblazing hospital.
Despite the tough times gone by, and some still ahead, it “feels a veil has been lifted” on Kate and William’s life, the source remarks, noting that “The word ‘remission’ is such a positive one to use.” The couple are now looking towards the future with “positivity and hope.”
Published: Jan 22, 2025 03:20 pm