Catherine, Princess of Wales, has announced that she is officially in remission from cancer.
This announcement came after she made a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in west London, the hospital where she received treatment.
Taking to social media, Catherine who spoke of her “relief” also admitted that it will take time to adjust to a new normal while adding that she remaining “focused on recovery”.
She also used the opportunity to thank the hospital for her care during her time there.
“I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year,” The Princess of Wales wrote on X
“My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything.
“We couldn’t have asked for more. The care and advice we have received throughout my time as a patient has been exceptional.
“In my new role as 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.
“It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focussed on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. C,” she added.
This is the first time it has been confirmed the princess is in remission from cancer.
It is to be recalled that Catherine’s diagnosis was announced in March 2024 and in September it was revealed that she had completed her chemotherapy,
According to Cancer Research UK, the word “remission” means that after treatment there is no sign of the cancer.
The charity says some cancers can come back so doctors tend to use the word remission not “cure”.
Meanwhile, during her visit to the hospital, Catherine spoke to some cancer patients at the Royal Marsden and offered some encouraging words.
The Princess of Wales sympathized with those undergoing treatment – and described how she was still feeling the long-term effects.
“You think the treatment has finished and you can crack on and get back to normal, but that’s still a real challenge,” she said.
“The words totally disappear. And understanding that as a patient – yes, there are side effects around treatment, but actually there are more long-term side effects.”
On how she was feeling, Catherine said she was doing well, but but emphasized on how hard it it to get back to normal.
“Sometimes from the outside we all think you’ve finished treatment and you go back to things. But it’s hard to get back to normal,” she said.
The princess’s visit was the first time it had been disclosed that the Royal Marsden was the hospital where she had cancer treatment.
The 43-year-old had a particularly challenging time, having to undergo major abdominal surgery followed by the disclosure of her cancer diagnosis and the start of her treatment weeks later.
For a large part of 2024, the Princess of Wales was out of the spotlight and this was followed by many controversies about her health.
At the time, she stepped out of the limelight, focusing on completing her chemotherapy and looking after her children.
In recent months, however, she has slowly returned to Royal engagements with some public appearances such as attending the Royal Family’s Christmas Day church walk at Sandringham, where she was heartily greeted with flowers and gifts from well wishers.
