“WE WERE ALL STRUGGLING… IN SILENCE.” — KATE MIDDLETON MAKE RARE REVEALS HOW CANCER TREATMENT HIT HER FAMILY. MK

Kate Middleton shared rare insight into how her treatment for cancer affected her loved ones during an emotional stop at a cancer center.

On June 4, the Princess of Wales, 44, opened up while meeting patient Claire Lorente and her family at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, a stop made to highlight holistic care.

Thursday was Lorente’s last day of treatment for breast cancer, and Princess Kate reflected on her own experience with cancer treatment just before Lorente, 30, rang a celebratory bell to commemorate closing that chapter.

“Well done, you!” the Princess of Wales told the patient as she wrapped her in a hug, in a video shared to Instagram by Hello! magazine. The royal said it was an “amazing day” and turned to Lorente’s partner.

“I know it’s just as hard for families and loved ones,” said Princess Kate. “I know how hard it was for the children and my parents. You go through it with them.”

Kate also moved to greet Lorente’s baby, telling the little one, “Isn’t Mummy brave?”

Princess Kate shares Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, with her husband, Prince William. The royal is also close with her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who live nearby and were a constant support when she received cancer treatment.

In March 2024, the Princess of Wales announced that she was undergoing treatment for cancer following an abdominal surgery. She said in September 2024 that she completed chemotherapy and shared in January 2025 that she was in remission; the form of cancer was never disclosed.

Prince William, 43, later revealed that he and Kate committed to being transparent with their kids about what was happening with her health, sharing in November 2025 that they “chose to communicate a lot more with our children.”

“Now, that has its good things and its bad things. Sometimes you feel you’re oversharing with the children you probably shouldn’t,” he said during an interview in Brazil for his 2025 Earthshot Prize Awards. “But most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work.”

Author Russel Myers echoed the remarks in his book William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, writing that the couple put their kids first as they navigated her cancer diagnosis.

In an extract published by The Mirror, a close aide claimed that William and Kate “both very calmly told the children what was going on and how long Catherine would need to be away for, but explained other than that everything would continue as normal and when she came home, she would need to rest up for a bit.”

While in the hospital, the royal mom kept in touch with her kids via video calls, hearing stories about their school days and asking if “Papa” cooked for them while she was away.

While the Princess of Wales had “a pretty grueling time” amid her treatment, a friend told Myers, “her focus was always on her children … [and] being as positive and optimistic as possible was all for them.”