The Princess of Wales made a surprise visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, the hospital where she received her cancer treatment, to see how funds raised by her Three Peaks Challenge are being used to help create a new holistic care centre.
Kate, 44, met patients and staff at the hospital this morning, weeks after completing the challenge in aid of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. She described the challenge as her "small way of giving back and saying thank you".
The princess underwent six months of preventative chemotherapy at the hospital after receiving a cancer diagnosis in February 2024. Since then, she has visited the hospital several times to meet patients and talk to staff about treatments at the cancer facility.
Three Peaks Challenge
In July, the future queen climbed the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – within 24 hours. Kensington Palace said at the time it believed the expedition was a royal first, with the princess being the first member of the royal family to complete the endurance test.
During her visit, Kate, who wore a green dress, saw how the money she raised is going to be spent to support people during and after a cancer journey. She also met patients benefiting from holistic care, something she described as making a "huge difference" to her during treatment.
Speaking about the challenge, she said: "This was my small way of being able to give back and say thank you to you. I had incredible care here and support from a huge team and I'm really really grateful on a personal level."
Holistic Care Centre
She added: "But also the holistic care, the treatments and therapeutic support on the outside is so important. It makes a big difference. The impact of nature, the impact of good nutrition, good ongoing support around you when it's really difficult to manage the trials and tribulations of medical treatments."
Funds raised through the challenge will help enable the development of a new specialist Centre for Holistic Wellbeing and Recovery. The funding will also support research into how these complementary approaches, alongside clinical care, can make a difference to every person with cancer across the UK.
After the princess completed the Three Peaks Challenge, pictures showed her being met by husband Prince William, children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, parents Carole and Michael Middleton, and brother James Middleton. The images showed her hugging her husband, with her arms around Charlotte, her arm around George, holding hands with Louis, and chatting to her family.
Family Support
Her brother also posted a photo of the two of them hugging on Instagram, saying he was "so incredibly proud of my darling sister". The caption said: "Two years ago, I told you we’d climb this mountain together. We talked about climbing mountains while you were in hospital, and about the incredible healing power that nature can have for both the body and the mind."
The caption continued: "So it was such an honour to join you for your Three Peaks Challenge for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Seeing how far you’ve come is nothing short of inspiring. Your strength, resilience, and determination, all while being the most amazing mother, wife, daughter, and sister, inspire me and so many others every single day. Keep being exactly who you are."
Kate became joint patron of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, alongside husband William, in 2025 following her own personal cancer journey.
