On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales visited the cancer ward at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Kate’s office confirmed that Kate had been treated at the same hospital last year, and that’s where she had been “smuggled in” to receive chemotherapy treatments. Kate made some strange comments during her visit with cancer patients, but royal reporters quickly swooped in to do damage control and massage the message. The message? Kate is fine, she’s in remission, but her “new normal” means that she’s still not going back to work in any way, and how dare you question any part of this story. Interestingly, People Magazine has published several exclusives about Kate’s visit, and I suspect that Kensington Palace organized these pieces with palace-selected people and palace-enforced talking points. One woman who met Kate declared that Kate doesn’t have to tell people what kind of cancer she had:
Kate Middleton’s visit to a London hospital where she had cancer treatment last year made a real impact, but one cancer patient says there’s no need for the royal to disclose her diagnosis. Angela Terry met the Princess of Wales during her emotional stop at The Royal Marsden Hospital on Jan. 14, and exclusively tells PEOPLE that Kate’s presence provided a huge boost.
“She was there to say thank you to the people who had looked after her, talk to patients who were in a similar situation,” Terry tells PEOPLE. “It was a great message of hope because she looked so well. We don’t need to know what cancer she had. We just know she’s been through surgery, she’s been through chemo — and one year later, my goodness, look, she is here.”
Terry, 71, was diagnosed with EGFR-positive lung cancer in 2019 and serves as the non-executive chair of EGFR Positive UK, a charity for mutation driven lung cancer. She was at the Royal Marsden for treatment on Tuesday when she met Princess Kate, who unexpectedly stepped out there to “show her gratitude to the incredible team, but also highlight the world leading care and treatment the Marsden provides,” a Kensington Palace spokesman said.
“It was a great message of hope because she looked so well. We don’t need to know what cancer she had.” Eh. Kate and King Charles have both declined to talk specifics about their cancer diagnoses, but Charles has done a lot more to show that he’s receiving treatment and that his cancer and the treatment has knocked him on his ass. Charles, to me, is more realistic and relatable than the conspiracy of silence around Kate for the past year. Meanwhile, People Mag did another exclusive about Kate telling a cancer patient that she didn’t use the cold cap:
Kate Middleton’s hair has long been a hallmark of her style, and during a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, a cancer patient revealed that the princess shared she “didn’t have to have” cold cap therapy—a treatment that helps reduce the risk of hair loss—during her cancer treatment.
Katherine Field, a patient undergoing cancer treatment who met Princess Kate during her visit, tells PEOPLE that they discussed cold capping — a scalp cooling system that can help reduce hair loss during chemotherapy, according to the American Cancer Society. Field, who was wearing a cold cap at the time, said the conversation added a personal connection to their encounter.
“I hate it, but I think it is working. Today there is a little bit of hair coming out, but I’m just trying to delay it,” Field, an art historian and curator, tells PEOPLE. When asked if Princess Kate mentioned using a cold cap, Field shared, “She just said that she didn’t have to have it. For her to lose her hair, which is so iconic, would have been awful. Everyone loves her hair!”
In retrospect, I think one of the craziest parts about Kate’s situation is that she actually looked quite ill in 2023 and her use of wigs was quite noticeable, and then when she “came back” to public view in June of last year – when she was apparently going through chemo – she looked worlds better and a lot healthier. She was practically glowing at the Wimbledon men’s final last July. And yes, the situation with her hair is certainly interesting.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
