How Kate Middleton Felt ‘Humbled’ by This Unexpected Act After Revealing Her ‘Difficult’ Cancer Treatment

Princess Kate’s recovery from cancer has been long and slow. The Princess of Wales was first diagnosed with cancer in April 2024 and finished chemotherapy in September of that year. Then, in January 2025, Middleton announced she was in remission. But she didn’t fully return to public life right away. Instead, she has been taking the time to balance out her role, her family, and her recovery.

One of the events she has made a point to attend regularly is Wimbledon. For the latest version of the tennis grand slam, she attended twice, the last time for the Wimbledon men’s final, with her husband, Prince William, and two of her kids: Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Prince Louis, who is only 7, was not in attendance.

During her attendance on July 12, for the women’s singles final, Kate was received with a standing ovation. According to US Weekly, it was a very welcome surprise for Middleton. “The ovation at Wimbledon was unexpected,” a source told the publication, adding that she was “really surprised and felt humbled by it.”

Multiple videos from the moment show her getting emotional as fans cheered. “She felt really good, and it reinforced her recovery and that everyone is rooting for her,” the source added. “She doesn’t follow the press, so to get a real-world reaction was incredibly fulfilling for her.”

This touching moment comes after Kate Middleton recently opened up about her cancer recovery while speaking to patients and staff members of the NHS. “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment,” she explained as she visited Colchester Hospital in Essex. “Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, 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,” she explained as she discussed her life after cancer and how she was adjusting. “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.”

“You have to find your new normal and that takes time…and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be,” Middleton added. “But the reality is you go through hard times.”