BREAKING NEWS: Princess Kate makes surprise visit to Royal Marsden C@ncer Hospital
The Princess of Wales has visited the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she underwent C@ncer treatment in 2024.
Princess Kate has visited the Royal Marsden Hospital (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
The Princess of Wales hailed the “incredible” care and support she received during her C@ncer treatment as she returned to the London hospital to thank hospital staff on Friday. Catherine, who announced last January that she was in remission, met senior figures from the Royal Marsden to hear about how the hospital is expanding patients’ holistic care.
She said that during her six months of chemotherapy nature, good nutrition and ongoing support “made a big difference” to her.
Wearing a striking emerald green midi dress, Catherine sat down with C@ncer patients, speaking at length with a father living with a brain tumour about the support they received from their children.
It marks her first visit to the hospital since she completed the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge in 24hours in June to raise money for the Royal Marsden and “explore life beyond diagnosis”. She told staff on Friday that the endurance challenge, which she completed on her own, was “my small way” of thanking them for helping her through a difficult time.
The Princess of Wales chatted with C@ncer patients during her visit (Image: Getty)
Speaking to senior executives and clinicians from the specialist C@ncer hospital, the princess said about her fundraising: “This was my small way of being able to give back and say thank you to you.
“I had incredible care here and support from a huge team and I’m really, really grateful on a personal level.
“But also the holistic care; the treatments and therapeutic support on the outside is so important, it makes a big difference.
“The impact of nature, the impact of good nutrition, good ongoing support around you when it’s really difficult to manage the trials and tribulations of medical treatments … it makes a big difference.
“It made a big difference to me and it made a huge difference to lots of patients who I’ve spoken to – thank you and well done. I think it will be transformative.”
The Princess of Wales wore a striking emerald green dress (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
In the medical day unit, where patients were receiving a combination of treatments, the princess spoke to patient Sam Suriakumar, 41, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour six years ago about the effect a C@ncer diagnosis has on their children and families. He has two daughters, aged five and three.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Suriakumar said: “I felt we were able to connect because of our C@ncer journeys and because of our kids. We were speaking about how our kids having to go through that as well and how they gave us the inspiration to keep pushing forwards.”
He said that when the princess bravely announced her C@ncer to the world in a moving video message in March 2024, he was going through chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
“‘I have two young daughters and they watched that and they just found it so inspiring,” he said. “I was going through it and they didn’t really understand what I was going through. And then they saw this.
“For them it was a game changer in that they were inspired to keep fighting for me. She was a human being, a lady, a mother, a wife just being very honest about what she was going through.”NEW: The Princess of Wales has visited the Royal Marsden Hospital in London to learn about how funds raised through her Three Peaks Challenge are being used.
She said that holistic care “made a big difference” when she was receiving C@ncer treatment at the hospital.
As a specialist C@ncer centre, the Royal Marsden champions whole-person C@ncer treatment and care across the UK and beyond. Funds raised through Catherine’s challenge will help enable the development of a new specialist Centre for Holistic Wellbeing and Recovery.
The undisclosed money raised by the princess will also support research into how these complementary approaches, alongside clinical care, can make a difference to every person with C@ncer across the UK.
After arriving at the hospital, the princess was shown the plans for the new centre. She listened intently to how holistic care and access to nature, with a south facing terrace for patients, was being put at the heart and soul of the design.
Catherine then spent time speaking with two patients who have benefited from the holistic care as part of their treatment, such as counselling and being helped to adjust to their new normal.
As she left the hospital, word had clearly got round that she was there and people had gathered to greet her and thank her for all the support she was giving the hospital.
During the visit Kate heard about progress for the Centre for Holistic Wellbeing and Recovery and saw the site where it will be built.
She also met patients currently undergoing treatment, and heard how holistic care, integrating physical, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing, can enhance recovery and healing.
Her visit on Friday comes after she joined her husband in Liverpool yesterday as he launched a new suicide prevention toolkit.
