The major lifestyle changes Kate Middleton has made 2 years on from shocking cancer announcement

March 2024. It had been months since the Princess of Wales last made an official public appearance, and rumors and conspiracies swirled online. Meanwhile, behind closed doors, Kate, a mother of three, was in the midst of what she would later describe as an “incredibly tough” nine months for her and her family. 

The public would learn what exactly the Princess was going through when she sat down on a bench in Windsor to record a video message, one that would shock the world.

A shocking announcement

On 22 March 2024, Kensington Palace released Kate’s personal message, revealing that she was in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy treatment. The news came just over two months after the Princess underwent major abdominal surgery. While her condition at the time of her surgery was thought to be non-cancerous, post-operative tests found that cancer had in fact been present. 

“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Kate said in her message. “As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.” 

“But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok. As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”

Chemotherapy complete

After months of chemotherapy and reduced public duties, the Princess announced on 9 September 2024 that she had finally completed her treatment.

“Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” Kate noted. “I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can. Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.”

Healing through nature

The news was shared in a video message featuring Kate and her family, with the sanctuary the Princess found in the natural world represented. 

She has since spoken about the power of nature and how it’s helped her heal. Her Mother Nature series, which launched in 2025, was a “deeply personal, creative reflection” on that. 

“I find myself reflecting on how deeply grateful I am,” Kate said in the final film, released on her 44th birthday. “For the rivers within us flow with ease. Fears washed away, cleanse and purify. Come to peace with our tears, and discover what it means to be alive.” 

“To be at one with nature. A quiet teacher and a soft voice that guides. In memory, helping us to heal,” she added.

Kate noted how her early morning walks in the countryside and being outdoors were central to her recovery. “She has focused her energy on what matters most to her to help her healing – being with her loved ones and taking time out in nature – and has been keen to share the importance of connection and time spent outside with the wider world,” HELLO!‘s Royal Editor, Emily Nash, said.

Cutting back on alcohol

Apart from spending even more time outdoors than normal, Kate has made another major lifestyle change since being in remission, an update she revealed in January 2025.

During a visit to a London brewery earlier this month, she declined to try beer and cider, instead opting for a soft drink. “Since my diagnosis, I haven’t had much alcohol,” she shared. “It’s something I have to be a lot more conscious of now.”

Filling her diary with ‘selective’ engagements

As for the Princess’ public engagements, which were scaled back during her treatment, they have steadily increased over the past year. She’s dazzled at state banquets, charmed presidents, hosted her annual Christmas carol service, and undertaken solo and joint engagements with her husband, Prince William.

In 2026 alone, Kate has made various high-profile appearances up and down the country, travelling to Wales for St David’s Day and to Hampshire earlier this week for St Patrick’s Day.

Robert Jobson, author of Catherine, the Princess of Wales: The Biography, previously told HELLO!: “Last year was survival then recovery mode, picking her moments and pacing herself. This year, I expect Catherine to carry out more engagements but be selective. Her diary is already filling up, I am told. But she won’t go back to the old pace; she’s learnt that lesson. It will be meaningful, with gaps in between for her family.” 

“Running on empty isn’t an option, nor is missing too much time with George, Charlotte and Louis. The days of just powering through are done,” Robert added.

HELLO!‘s Royal Editor, Emily Nash, said: “We’ve really seen the Princess step up her engagements in recent months, which shows how well she is doing now. But there’s no doubt that her whole outlook on life has been changed by her experience of illness.

“We’ve certainly heard more personal reflections from her since her diagnosis and treatment, too, whether through her Mother Nature films or in the candid conversations she has had with people on engagements. I think she has felt comforted by the support she has had from the public and wants to offer that support to others in turn.”

The Princess herself described her experience as “life-changing”. During a visit to Colchester Hospital’s Cancer Wellbeing Centre in 2025, Kate admitted: “It’s life-changing for anyone, through first diagnosis or post-treatment and things like that, it is a life-changing experience, both for the patient but also for the families as well.”

Focus on the ‘power of creativity’

Kate has long been a patron of the arts, quite literally. Among her royal patronages are The National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Royal Photographic Society. Meanwhile, her hobbies and passions include painting, photography, and playing the piano, often with her daughter Princess Charlotte.

It was no surprise then that Kate spent much of her time out of the spotlight focusing on things that brought her happiness to help her heal. She “focused on joy” as a form of therapy. And at the start of the year, a palace source noted that the Princess’ engagements would highlight the “power of creativity”.

In January, Kate travelled to the north of England and took part in a trio of engagements all chosen to emphasize “the healing power of creativity, community and nature” for individuals who have experienced trauma, isolation and poor mental health. 

Kate met senior therapist Stuart Murray-Borbjerg, who explained the importance of non-verbal approaches to therapy, using tools like art, music and movement to express feelings.

“Something that’s lost through traumatic experiences is that sense of playfulness and joy which just comes back when you’re making music or you’re drawing together,” he said. “[It’s] something the Princess said too – that kind of gets lost as adults but [Prince] George keeps her playful. I think she said one [of her children] plays the guitar and one plays the drums.”