The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has opened up about her cancer treatment during a recent royal visit.

The 43-year-old made the heartbreaking admission that people “expect you to be better” while visiting a cancer wellbeing centre at Colchester Hospital in Essex, on Wednesday (July 2).

While there, she helped plant roses in a garden which has been designed to help visitors find peace.

Royal says ‘everybody expects you to be better’

The royal is currently gradually returning to work after recently pulling out of an appearance at Royal Ascot unexpectedly.

She is also in remission from cancer after being diagnosed last year.

While visiting other patients, Kate Middleton opened up about her cancer treatment in her own words.

The mother-of-three said: “There is a whole phase when you finish your treatment, everybody expects you to be better – go! But that’s not the case at all.”

She added: “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like ’I can crack on, get back to normal’ but actually the phase afterwards is really difficult.

“You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to.

“And actually someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment I think is really valuable.”

Kate continued: “You have to find your new normal and that takes time.”

While she has remained tight-lipped over what treatment she had, she did admit she had acupuncture as part of her own health journey but hadn’t tried reflexology.

Kate Middleton’s ‘rollercoaster’ cancer treatment

Kate described her cancer diagnosis as ‘life-changing’ while calling her recovery as a ‘rollercoaster’.

“It’s life-changing for anyone,” The Princess of Wales said.

“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.

“And actually it sometimes goes unrecognised, you don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time [of diagnosis], appreciate how much impact it is going to have.

“You have to find your new normal and that takes time…and it’s a rollercoaster, it’s not one smooth plane, which you expect it to be. But the reality is it’s not, you go through hard times.

“And to have a place like this to have the support network, through creativity and singing or gardening whatever it might be is so valuable and it’s great this community has it. It would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support.”

The royal also admitted to one patient how the “first-time diagnosis is a very scary journey”.

Kensington Palace said Kate was there to “celebrate the incredible healing power of nature and raise awareness of the important role that spending time in nature plays in bringing us joy and supporting our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing”.

What was Princess Kate Middleton’s illness?

The Princess of Wales was diagnosed with a form of cancer following major abdominal surgery in 2024, although Kate Middleton did not reveal which type she had.

She shared updates with fans, telling them she had finished her cancer treatment in September of that year. The royal announced she was in remission at the beginning of 2025, almost a year since her diagnosis.

Kate Middleton received backlash and cruel treatment from trolls online following her surgery due to her absence from royal events. A Photoshopped picture of her with her three children, released on Mother’s Day, stirred conspiracy theories about her.

It was after this that she released a video where she announced she had been diagnosed with cancer. Kate explained she had been taking time, with Prince William by her side, to figure out how to tell their three young children.