Catherine, Princess of Wales, ‘doing what I can to stay cancer-free’ after completing chemotherapy

Catherine, Princess of Wales, ‘doing what I can to stay cancer-free’ after completing chemotherapy


London
CNN

Catherine, Princess of Wales, has said she has completed her chemotherapy and is “doing what I can to stay cancer-free” as she plans to gradually return to public life in the coming months.

Catherine, who revealed in March that she was diagnosed with cancer, said in a deeply personal video released Monday that she is entering a “new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation for life.”

The princess, better known as Kate, has only appeared in public twice since her diagnosis, which came after she underwent major abdominal surgery shortly after Christmas.

“As summer draws to a close, I cannot express what a relief it is to finally have completed my chemotherapy treatment,” said Kate, 42, who is married to the British heir to the throne, Prince William.

“Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is my focus now,” she continued. “Although I have completed chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must take each day as it comes.”

In a video message featuring footage from the English summer, Kate, William and their three children – Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George – are seen walking through woodland, picnicking, playing among sand dunes and wading in the sea.

“The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” she says in the video, which was filmed last month in Norfolk, on the east coast of England. “The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.”

Catherine and William stand with their daughter, Princess Charlotte, on the English coast.

“This time has especially reminded William and I to reflect and be grateful for the simple but important things in life that so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved,” Kate said in the video message.

She said she is looking forward to getting back to work and will be making “a few more public appearances over the next few months, when I can,” keeping a light schedule to allow her to fully recover.

She is expected to attend the annual memorial service at the Cenotaph in London in November, which commemorates victims of war.

Catherine and William are seen laughing during a family outing to the woods.

Kensington Palace initially reported that Kate had undergone surgery for a benign abdominal condition. However, following widespread speculation about her well-being and her prolonged absence from public life, Kate announced her diagnosis in a video message in March.

Her diagnosis stunned the nation, coming just weeks after King Charles III announced in February that he too had been diagnosed with cancer. Neither royal has specified what type of cancer they are being treated for.

In her initial announcement, Kate stressed that she had been advised to undergo a series of “preventive” chemotherapies. Preventive chemotherapy is often used after surgery as an “adjuvant” therapy to reduce the chance of the cancer returning, Dr. Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, previously told CNN.

In June, Kate said she was making “good progress” in her recovery and expected her treatment to last “a few more months.”

The following day – her first public appearance since Christmas – Kate joined Charles and family members on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour ceremony in June, marking the monarch’s official birthday.

Before appearing at the ceremony, Kate said she was making “good progress” in her recovery and that she expected her treatment to last “a few more months.”

In July, she received a standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd when she attended the men’s singles final at Wimbledon with her daughter Princess Charlotte.