Royal fans were thrilled to see the Princess of Wales looking happy and healthy in a surprise video on Sunday – five months after she revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer
The Princess of Wales delighted royal fans on Sunday when she appeared alongside her husband Prince William in a video congratulating Team GB following a successful Olympic Games.
Kate looked happy and healthy as she offered her well wishes to the athletes. It was only the third appearance from the Princess following her cancer diagnosis. She attended Trooping the Colour back in June, and then stepped out with Princess Charlotte and sister Pippa Middleton to attend Wimbledon last month, where she received a standing ovation.
While royal fans noted how Kate glowed in the couple’s surprise Olympics video, she recently confirmed she’s ‘not out the woods yet’ with her health struggles. Here we look at the latest updates on Kate’s cancer recovery.
Kate, 42, has been largely absent from duty this year as a result of her ongoing battle against an undisclosed form of cancer. Ahead of her Trooping appearance, she released a statement in which she spoke about her recovery.
“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” the princess said. “On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.
“My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months. On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.
“I’m looking forward to attending The King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet. I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty. Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal. Thank you so much for your continued understanding, and to all of you who have so bravely shared your stories with me.”
Kate’s appearances over the summer have led to speculation that she will soon return to work. But Kensington Palace has reiterated that she is not expected to come back until her medical team advises her to do so. “We have been really clear that [Kate] needs the space and the privacy to recover right now,” a palace spokesperson said in June. “She will return to work when she has had the green light from doctors.”
Kate’s recovery is now in its fifth month, and a royal expert has said she is managing to keep her cool despite the difficult circumstances. Robert Jobson recently told HELLO! , “She’s very calm. She’s a person who wants to find solutions and rise above the noise and the drama, and I think, given what she’s gone through, you don’t want to waste any time on noise, on drama, when you’ve had anything to do with your health. You live day by day; you do the things you want to do,” he added.
For Kate, that has meant spending time away from the spotlight with her family. Royal fans were quick to note that William and Kate’s Olympic video appeared to have been filmed outside their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. It’s thought that the couple and their children have spent the holidays together at the property, making the most of precious shared moments before the new school term begins next month.
Kate is known to draw great strength from her three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, and her devoted husband. Royal biographer Robert Jobson told US Weekly, that Prince William was “devastated” by his wife’s shocking diagnosis – and was then left heartbroken once again when it emerged that his father King Charles was also battling cancer.
William has continued to carry out royal duties during his wife’s recovery and during an outing in Newcastle last month, he shared a rare update. Wellwisher Julie Cain, 60, asked the heir to the throne: “Do you mind if I ask how your wife and children are?” And William replied: “All doing well, thank you. Yes, we’re doing well.”
Princess Kate’s last public engagement before this year’s Trooping the Colour was in December, when she attended the royal family’s annual Christmas service at Sandringham. She had abdominal surgery in January and her cancer was revealed in post-operative tests. Kate bravely shared the news of her diagnosis with the world in a moving video on 22 March.