Kate’s return to cancer treatment hospital revealed her ‘unique royal superpower’, body language expert claims

The Princess of Wales’s ‘unique royal superpower’ was revealed during her poignant visit to the London hospital where she received cancer treatment, a body language expert has revealed.

A video of Kate, now 44, hugging a cancer patient at the Royal Marsden hospital in January 2025, showcased her ‘acute empathy’ after her own battle with the illness, Judi James told the Daily Mail.

This trait helps her foster moments of ‘authentic connection’ and is one of Kate’s biggest strengths, Ms James continued.

‘We’re used to seeing royals hugging strangers when they are out on visits, but most of these hug rituals tend to either be “parental”, cursory, or even “beatific” in style, tone, and execution.

‘Kate shows a capacity for going emotionally deeper, and the non-verbal cues here suggest that when she leans to hug a woman, the need for contact and empathy is almost mutual in that moment,’ Ms James said.

She noted that Kate’s own cancer journey will have ‘added an extra layer’ in her ability to both ‘listen and understand’.

‘Her empathy is prompted by personal and shared experience rather than the imagined variety, where someone will try to put themselves into someone else’s shoes while they’re communicating with them,’ Ms James continued.

The effect is that Kate’s meeting looks more like two friends talking ‘about a really horrible time’ and less like a stiff, official outing, she concluded.

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The Princess of Wales’s’unique royal super power’ was revealed during her poignant visit to the London hospital where she received cancertreatment, a body language expert has revealed

While speaking to one patient during her hospital visit on January 14, 2025, Kate appeared visibly emotional as she listened attentively to the patient’s experience of receiving cancer treatment at the specialist oncology hospital.

The compassionate princess was then captured placing a tender arm of support around the woman before she shared: ‘I’m sorry, this is why I wanted to come and show my support for all the amazing work that is going on here.’

Appearing to get tearful, Kate considerately asked: ‘Are you OK?’ before she reassuringly added: ‘There is light at the end of the tunnel.’

‘Very nice to meet you and best of luck, you’re in the very best of hands,’ added an emotional Kate, to which the patient responded: ‘Thank you so much.’

The mother-of-three was dressed in an all-red ensemble as she met with patients and staff to thank them for their ‘exceptional care, support and compassion’ throughout the past 12 months of her own cancer battle during the visit last year.

Kate, who is Joint Patron of The Royal Marsden, shows her compassionate side as she ’tilts or cocks her head to register both empathy and a desire to listen’, Ms James explained.

‘We can see Kate’s own emotional state taking her close to tears here. Her hair touching looks less about preening or self-comfort and more like a truncated shielding ritual to partly hide her eyes as the tears threaten to appear.’

A heartwarming video of the Princess of Wales hugging a patient at the Royal Marsden’s Chelsea site in January 2025, where Kate herself underwent preventive cancer treatment herself, showcased her ‘acute empathy’, according to body language expert Judi James

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She added that Kate’s own cancer journey will have ‘added an extra layer’ in her ability to both ‘listen and understand’ with the patient as she emotionally shared her own experience with battling the awful disease

According to Ms James, the significance of such a heartfelt moment shared between the future Queen and a cancer patient is not to be understated.

‘This trait of registering a deeper form of empathy and moments of authentic connection could be emerging as Kate’s unique royal super power.’

The princess was later praised for her ‘vulnerability’ after the tear-jerking clip was posted online.

Writing on X/Twitter, one person said: ‘The mental and emotional effects of cancer and chemo linger much longer than the physical effects. An encounter such as this puts one back in the infusion chair, and one remembers and responds instinctively.’

Another added: ‘This is where she shines, she has genuine empathy and can talk to everyone’.

Meanwhile, another royal fan praised the ‘kind’ princess for her ‘heartfelt emotions’ and added: ‘A lovely trait to behold as a Queen in waiting’.

The visit to Royal Marsden hospital in London’s Chelsea marked Kate’s first solo engagement after completing a preventative course of chemotherapy in September 2024.

Describing her treatment as ‘really tough’, Kate told a patient undergoing chemo: ‘It’s such a shock.’

The princess spoke poignantly about the ‘resilience’ she learned throughout treatment and thanked one well-wisher who told her: ‘I think you’ve managed the children amazingly well.’

‘Oh, that’s kind,’ responded Kate.

Ahead of her visit to the Royal Marsden in January 2025, the princess took to social media to reveal that she was in remission from cancer in an emotional statement signed ‘C’.

‘I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year,’ the future Queen’s message read.

‘My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything.

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Kate, who is Joint Patron of The Royal Marsden, showed her empathetic side as she ’tilts or cocks her head to register both empathy and a desire to listen’, according to Ms James

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Here, Kate’s down-to-earth and soft-hearted nature shone through and highlighted her rare ability to make a public interaction feel so personal. ‘The feedback was that this was like talking to a friend about a really horrible time,’ added Ms James

‘We couldn’t have asked for more. The care and advice we have received throughout my time as a patient has been exceptional.

‘In my new role as Joint Patron of The Royal Marsden, my hope is that by supporting groundbreaking research and clinical excellence, as well as promoting patient and family wellbeing, we might save many more lives, and transform the experience of all those impacted by cancer.

‘It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal.

‘I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.’

Last December, as a mark of thanks to the Royal Marsden, the princess donated a ‘majestic’ Christmas tree from her annual carol service to the hospital’s Sutton branch.

While Kate has never spoken publicly about the sort of cancer she was diagnosed with, she has addressed her ‘life-changing’ health battle in a remarkable gesture of solidarity with others battling the illness.