Kate visits cancer patients in hospital she helped fund with climb

Catherine, Princess of Wales has visited the hospital where she was treated for cancer after completing a charity climb earlier this year to help fund a new unit there.

"This was my small way of being able to give back and say thank you," Catherine told staff at the Royal Marsden in London on Friday .

The princess, who revealed two years ago that she was receiving cancer treatment, carried out the Three Peaks Challenge in aid of the hospital, which involved climbing the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours.

The amount of money she raised has not been made public, but it will go towards a new unit offering complementary healing alongside clinical care.

The princess spoke to patients and staff at the hospital about the importance of support which goes beyond the physical.

"I had incredible care here and support from a huge team and I'm really, really grateful on a personal level," she said.

"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," she reflected.

Catherine sat down and chatted to those receiving treatment at the hospital, including patients with breast cancer, head and neck cancer and a brain tumour.

"When you first get cancer, you're very aware of the physical impact," a patient told her. "The mental impact comes after."

He said it had been a "lifesaver" to be able to talk to a therapist at the hospital, because "there is only so much you can say to your friends and family".

The princess agreed: "Cancer is not just the physical changes your body is going through.

"There's a mind-body aspect that changes who you are... having professionals who can help you navigate that is really essential," she said.

Another patient said she had gone from being aged 46 to feeling "like I was 86".

Catherine, who announced in January 2025 that she was in remission, agreed about the need to support the whole person - saying holistic treatment helped patients "adjust to the lifestyle change that cancer has brought".

She also heard from a patient who spoke of wanting to seek out new experiences after being diagnosed: "There are those moments where you fall down a bit, like, 'what's going on?' And you need to find inspiration."

The princess agreed, saying that it showed the importance of "making the most of life".

Speaking after Catherine's visit, one patient particularly welcomed her being there due to her personal experience of cancer: "I forgot that she was a princess. I was just talking to every other cancer patient who has been in this ward."

"You all become friends, part of a community, and I was talking to her on that level, rather than the Princess of Wales," he said.

Money raised by her mountain climbs in June will now be used for the The Centre for Holistic Wellbeing and Recovery.

It is intended to offer cancer patients a wider sense of recovery, beyond physical treatment, and addressing a sense of emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing.

She previously said the challenge was a "chance to explore life beyond diagnosis", as well as giving back.

Catherine's trip to the London hospital follows a visit on Thursday with her husband Prince William to support a suicide prevention project being launched in Liverpool.

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