by Mick the Ram

The Princess of Wales has visited the Royal Marsden Hospital in south-west London to thank the staff who cared for her during her period of treatment for cancer, which for the first time in public she used the phrase “in remission” to describe her current condition.

Catherine underwent a course of preventative chemotherapy after major abdominal surgery a year ago revealed the presence of an unspecified form of cancer.

Cancer Research UK says the word “remission” means that after treatment there is no sign of the cancer. The charity says some cancers can come back so doctors tend to use the word remission not “cure”.

The princess offered her “heartfelt thanks” for making her “cancer journey” as a patient “exceptional” as she spoke of her relief and how both Prince William and herself were now “looking forward to fulfilling the year ahead”.

She also announced that she had become joint patron of the specialist cancer unit joining her husband, who was already the hospital’s royal patron – a position his mother, Princess Diana, had previously held.

First solo appearance since diagnosis

The visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital was Kate’s first solo public engagement since returning to official duties. Arriving as a visitor would have felt strange after months of visiting as a patient, and she was quick to sympathise with those undergoing treatment before describing how she was still feeling the long-term effects.

“You think the treatment has finished and you can crack on and get back to normal, but that’s still a real challenge,” she said, before admitting that her diagnosis was a “real shock” and recalled how much the support she received had helped her initially, with a clear message given to her to “please keep a positive mindset, it makes such a difference”.

Emotional return

Speaking with several people on her visit, Catherine looked extremely emotional when hearing their individual stories and was keen to reassure them that they were in “the best possible place”.

She offered the observation that there was “light at the end of the tunnel”, and praised the “amazing work” that is carried out at the hospital.

Heartfelt thanks

Afterwards the princess took to social media, as she explained how she remained “focused on recovery”. In her post she wrote: “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.” Continuing she again thanked the Royal Marsden for the care she gave her, saying: “My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we navigated everything, we could not have asked for more.”

Kate also spoke about the relief she was feeling to “now be in remission” and explained how it was taking time to “adjust to a new normal”, before signing off as “C”.

Specialist facility

The Royal Marsden, which treats 59,000 patients each year, was founded as a dedicated cancer hospital in 1851, specialising in diagnosis, treatment, research and education.

Dame Cally Palmer, chief executive of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, speaking of the royal visit said: “We were honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales to the Royal Marsden in Chelsea this morning, and are delighted that Her Royal Highness is now joining His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in becoming joint patrons of our specialist cancer centre.”

She went on to say: “We are incredibly fortunate to receive royal patronage, it is inspiring for staff and patients and enables us to shine a light on the outstanding work our staff deliver every day for patients and their families.”

Return to full engagements still gradual

Kensington Palace has stressed that the 43-year-old princess would continue to return to public-facing engagements, but gradually and therefore the guidance around her return to public-facing engagements hasn’t changed.