Kate Middleton talks 'nonlinear' healing journey with cancer

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Nov 11, 2026

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Kate Middleton opened up about her love for nature and how that passion helped her healing journey following her cancer diagnosis.

“I was told in hospital that my recovery would not be linear. There will be good days and bad days, that it will take time,” the Princess of Wales revealed in a new interview with Country Life, a special edition which was guest edited by her husband, Prince William.

“This is the same in nature,” she continued. “It shows us that periods of rest, reflection and renewal are equally as important as moments of growth.”

The future queen went on to describe the outdoors as her “sanctuary,” and a place she has “instinctively wanted to go” amid her battle with cancer.

“Humans have always turned to nature,” she explained.

“Whether it is the beach for healing and recovery, the countryside for peace and perspective or the mountains to find solitude, people have long sought comfort in the natural world,” Middleton continued, adding, “Incorporating nature into someone’s recovery pathway is vital.”

The mother of three first shared her cancer diagnosis in March 2024. It followed a major abdominal surgery in January the same year, with her post-operative tests showing that cancer had been present. She said she was undergoing a “course of preventive chemotherapy” at the time, and she announced that she completed treatment a few months later in September.

Then, in January 2025, the Princess of Wales announced that her cancer had gone into remission, and she returned to public life and her royal duties shortly thereafter.

“I find hope in the lessons nature teaches: that, despite the challenges life may throw at us, we are not alone and that we’re interconnected with something bigger than ourselves,” she said. “Nature reminds us that change is inevitable.”

When asked about the role the outdoors played in her recovery, the Princess of Wales said she felt the two were “definitely connected.”

“If you look at the natural world, it is hardly ever stagnant; if it is, it’s rarely healthy,” she explained. “This has really helped me, thinking about how flow and movement can shift something inside you, whether in your body or your mind or your thoughts.”

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