The Princess of Wales undertook an emotional engagement on Thursday when she headed to Manchester to visit The Christie, a specialist cancer centre.
For her outing, the royal wore a bleu dress, and she was seen waving at staff and patients as she arrived at the cancer centre.
During her visit, Kate met patients being treated for cancer at the Oak Road Treatment Centre, even being present as one ‘rang the bell’, which signals the end of their treatment. The royal also heard about how they engaged with complementary therapies and how they helped them with their own cancer journey.
She also visited an art therapy room at the centre during a session, which was attended by those going through their treatment and those in recovery. Kate then headed to the hospital’s wellbeing garden, meeting with the resident gardener, Phil Walker.
Her visit concluded with the royal heading to the Teenage and Young Adult Ward, meeting teenage patients who were in the unit, which contains amenities like a music studio, gym and social hub.
The Christie, which was established in 1890 before becoming part of the NHS in 1948, is the largest cancer centre in Europe, providing treatment to over 60,000 patients, while also providing the wider NHS with treatments required for radiotherapy.
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaceAlongside the standard treatment, the centre also focuses on holistic therapies, provided free of charge, including therapies to deal with symptoms common following a cancer diagnosis, such as stress or depression, and services such as art therapy or chaplaincy.
Kate’s cancer journey
Kate’s cancer was discovered during an abdominal surgery in 2024, and she announced in March 2024 that she’d be undergoing chemotherapy, which was completed by September.
During her treatment and the early stages of her recovery, the royal stayed out of the public eye. However, over the summer, she started making appearances, including at Trooping the Colour and Wimbledon.
In September 2024, she announced that she was “cancer-free”, before saying the following January that she was now in remission. During a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was treated for cancer, she said: “I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year.
“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.”
© WireImageThe royal has made several changes to her life following her treatment, including cutting back on alcohol. During a visit to Fabal Beerhall on the Bermondsey Beer Mile in south London back in March, Kate turned down an offer of beer and cider.
She told owner Hannah Rhodes: “Since my diagnosis I haven’t had much alcohol.” Opting for a soft drink instead, she added: “It’s something I have to be a lot more conscious of now.”
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