The Princess of Wales spoke today of the pressure of putting on a ‘brave face’ through cancer treatment and recovery, where ‘everybody expects you to be better – but that’s not the case at all’.

Kate, 43, who is continuing a slow and measured return to public life while in remission from cancer, said there was an expectation that patients ‘crack on, get back to normal’.

But, she said, the ‘very scary, very daunting experience’ did not end with the conclusion of treatment, with patients needing to take time to find their ‘new normal’.

She also revealed that she had tried acupuncture – a traditional Chinese medicine in which practitioners insert thin needles into specific parts of the body to promote healing and relieve pain – as part of her own recovery process.

The deeply personal words from the Princess came as she met fellow patients at a cancer wellbeing centre at Colchester Hospital, helping to plant roses in a garden designed to help visitors find peace.

The Princess, who in January announced she was in remission from a undisclosed form of cancer, recently cancelled an appearance at Royal Ascot, with aides stressing that she had always made clear her return to public life would be staggered.

Describing a cancer diagnosis as ‘life changing’ and the treatment and recovery a ‘rollercoaster’, the Princess spoke of the importance of a holistic ‘mind, body and spirit’ approach.

She repeatedly emphasised the importance of patients and their families being able to find support through their illness, saying it was too often difficult to reach.

The Princess of Wales during a visit to the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital

Kate today opened up about her cancer recovery journey as she spoke with patients in the hospital’s wellbeing centre

Kate, 43, looked stunning in a smart Blazé Milano beige blazer with pinstripes, retailing at around £1,000, and matching Ralph Lauren shirt as she visited the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital today.

The royal added tailored brown trousers and a black belt – while giving a more casual effect with rolled up sleeves and white Veja Esplar leather trainers – and adding her engagement ring and Cartier watch.

Speaking to patients and volunteers inside the centre, she said: ‘There is a whole phase when you finish your treatment, everybody expects you to be better – go! But that’s not the case at all.’

She said: ‘You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like “I can crack on, get back to normal” but actually the phase afterwards is 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.

‘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.’

She added: ‘You have to find your new normal and that takes time.’

The centre provides therapy, community groups and holistic treatments including reflexology.

Kate even had the opportunity to plant the ‘Catherine Rose’ herself, alongside staff who volunteer in the garden

Despite rainy weather, the Princess looked practical and stylish upon her arrival today

The Princess enjoyed a cup of tea as she met with patients and staff this morning

The princess also did a walkabout and met staff and volunteers

Kate, 43, looked stunning in a smart striped blazer and matching shirt as she visited the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden

The visit coincides with the donation of 50 Catherine’s Rose plants, named after the princess by the RHS with funds from sales going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

The Princess of Wales planting a rose during a visit to the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital in Essex

Kate said that such a journey would be ‘life-changing for anyone’

The princess, speaking to therapist Amanda Green during a walkabout in heavy rain afterwards, disclosed that she had not yet tried reflexology but had undergone acupuncture as part of her own health journey.

The visit offered the princess’s most personal and extensive insight into her own experience to date, seeing her reference her own ill health several times while offering empathy to other patients and families.

‘It’s life-changing for anyone,’ she said. ‘Through first diagnosis or post treatment and things like that, it is a life-changing experience both for the patient but also for the families as well.

‘And actually it sometimes goes unrecognised, you don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time [of diagnosis], appreciate how much impact it is going to have.

‘You have to find your new normal and that takes time… and it’s a rollercoaster, it’s not one smooth plane, which you expect it to be. But the reality is it’s not, you go through hard times.

‘And to have a place like this to have the support network, through creativity and singing or gardening whatever it might be is so valuable and it’s great this community has it.

‘It would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support.’

Speaking to patients, including those whose cancer has returned and one who had lost his husband to cancer, Catherine asked how the centre had helped them.

Kate even had the opportunity to plant the Catherine Rose herself, alongside staff who volunteer in the garden

The Princess then visited Colchester Hospital’s Cancer Wellbeing Centre and met with patients and staff

Kate showed off her gardening skills as she planted a rose, which is named after her

The Princess of Wales appeared in positive spirits today and thoroughly engaged

Kate, 43, looked stunning in a smart Blazé Milano beige blazer with pinstripes

Kate said that getting a diagnosis for the first time is part of a ‘very scary journey’

‘That first-time diagnosis is a very scary journey,’ she said, referring to the benefits of having an on-site hospital support network where many volunteers have had cancer themselves and survived. Many newly diagnosed patients at Colchester Hospital now visit the centre immediately for counselling and advice.

‘To feel a sense of hope and positivity [from speaking to people who have already been through it] is such a positive thing in what is otherwise a very scary and daunting experience,’ the princess said.

She added, ‘Science has told us that the mind, body and spirit experience is so important,’ asking if the clinical team at the hospital had given any feedback about how the wellness centre had affected patients.

After around an hour at the centre, she moved into the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital where she helped plant roses named after her.

Getting her hands dirty and asking if she could do a bit more work, the princess dug alongside television garden designer Adam Frost and told him she was feeling ‘good’ and was pleased to be able to work outside.

In the pouring rain, as the engagement overran by about half an hour, she told hospital staff and patients who had waited outside to see her: ‘I’m just washing my hands – I’ll be back.’

She then undertook a walkabout, posing for selfies and group photographs in between asking people about their day.

Kensington Palace said she was there to ‘celebrate the incredible healing power of nature and raise awareness of the important role that spending time in nature plays in bringing us joy and supporting our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing’.

The Princess of Wales was radiant today as she was seen in public for the first time in a number of weeks

Even the rain didn’t dampen her spirits as she chatted with staff

Kensington Palace said she was there to ‘celebrate the incredible healing power of nature’. Pictured speaking with staff

The Princess met with award-winning garden designer Adam Frost, who led the design of the garden, and heard about how he worked with NHS staff

The Princess dug alongside television garden designer Adam Frost and told him she was feeling ‘good’ and was pleased to be able to work outside

Her Royal Highness then planted some ‘Catherine’s Rose’ plants in the wellbeing garden

The Princess of Wales during a visit to the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital

Kate also did a walkabout and took selfies with members of the public

Crowds gathered for Kate’s walkabout as people were delighted for a chance to meet the princess

Her visit coincides with the donation of 50 ‘Catherine’s Rose’ plants, named for The Princess by the RHS with funds from sales going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, to Colchester Hospital.

Kate even had the opportunity to plant the ‘Catherine Rose’ herself, alongside staff who volunteer in the garden.

The coral-pink floribunda has a rich perfume with hints of Turkish Delight and mango, the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) said in its announcement in May.

Now, 500 ‘Catherine’s Rose’ plants will be donated to wellbeing and community gardens across the UK this summer, including Maggie’s gardens for people affected by cancer, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and Horatio’s Gardens for those living with spinal injuries.

The Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital, which opened in July 2024, is a relaxing and restorative space for NHS staff, patients and visitors.

The garden is a vital hub for the community, offering activities for those working in or visiting the hospital and was created in partnership with the RHS, Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity and NHS Charities Together, the latter of which is a joint patronage of The Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Wellbeing Garden at Colchester, and the transformative impact it has on patients and NHS workers, forms part of the research for the RHS’ Blueprint for Wellbeing Gardens, which will launch in Spring next year.

Kate herself has been making a slow and measured return to duties after revealing she is in remission from cancer.

Kate seemed well at ease as she was given a tour of the RHS wellbeing garden

A selfie taken with the Princess of Wales on her visit to Colchester Hospital today

Kate said that ‘finding a new normal’ had been a ‘rollercoaster’ in the poignant chat

The Princess appeared in positive spirits during her visit today – the first since her absence from Royal Ascot

The princess was wearing her engagement ring today, which once belonged to Princess Diana

This has included a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital back in January, where she underwent her treatment, as well as important events in the royal calendar, such as Trooping The Colour and the Order Of The Garter ceremony.

The Princess arrived at Colchester Hospital with little fanfare, walking through the public garden as one mother told her little girl “that’s a real life Princess, there!”.

The hospital changed the programme slightly, inviting her inside the wellbeing centre in the hopes that the rain would ease off before the Princess joined the gardening.

The garden has been designed alongside a small lake, with ducks and ducklings walking among the visitors and a planting scheme including lavender, roses, salvia, allium and grasses.