Kate Middleton Shares Major Health Update 6 Months After Cancer Diagnosis
Kate Middleton is sharing the most-anticipated health update since first announcing her cancer battle earlier this year.
On Monday, Sept. 9, the Princess of Wales revealed in a video message that she is no longer undergoing chemotherapy treatment, instead, “Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus.”
“The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” Kate said, going on to describe battling cancer as "complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.”
“With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything,” Kate noted. "Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.”
The mom of three thanked the world for the outpouring of support and then hinted at her future plans to return to her royal duties, telling fans she is "looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can."
This latest health update comes some six months after the 42-year-old British royal revealed she was undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer following intense public speculation about her health in the weeks prior to the video she shared publicly announcing her diagnosis on March 22, 2024.
Her original announcement followed weeks of incessant conspiracy theories and memes at her expense following a reportedly planned abdominal surgery in January, which necessitated a 13-day hospital stay followed by a 3-month-plus recovery period that found the royal seemingly "missing," the Princess of Wales attempted to quell the public's concerns.
She spoke on camera about the aftermath of the surgery that they had initially believed to be performing to treat a "condition [that] was noncancerous," but further testing showed that whatever doctors had removed at the time had, in fact, been malignant.
The princess added that her medical team had advised she "undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy" as a result, which suggests that they believed that they had removed all of the cancer from her body but wanted to be sure—though it's important to note that it's not currently scientifically possible to confirm anyone to be 100 percent cancer-free. Instead, someone considered to be "in remission" would mean that there's no detectable cancer in the body, though there's always, at minimum, a very slight risk of recurrence, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.
Kate has only made a handful of appearances since she began and concluded treatment, including one only a few weeks ago, when she was spotted with her husband, Prince William, as the two headed to a Sunday church service while staying at Balmoral Castle for the family's annual summer trip. Prior to that, Kate was spotted at Wimbledon and received a standing ovation from other spectators and in June at the Trooping the Colour, which also marked her first event since she revealed her diagnosis.
Along with the sporadic appearances, the princess rarely shared official statements–unless it was to celebrate a family member's birthday or a major holiday–though the Prince of Wales occasionally offered the public assurances that she was "doing well."