It’s been nearly a year since the Princess of Wales revealed her shock cancer diagnosis and paused her public duties to focus on what would be a gruelling course of treatment.
While Kate, 43, remained largely absent from most royal events in 2024, the mother-of-three epitomised strength and grace on those rare occasions when she did step out – including attending Trooping the Colour and presenting the trophy at Wimbledon.
The Princess’ absolute commitment to her role despite her health challenges has inspired many people suffering from the illness.
Pritpal Kaur, 74, from west London, was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in 2023.
She told Femail: ‘[Kate] has inspired me, she was going out and working, and I thought “Good on her!”
‘I think if you’ve seen what she’s done, anybody can do that – you just have to carry on.’
Since completing her treatment last September, Kate has continued to spread her message of hope and positivity for other patients and survivors.
The mother-of-three recently reminded those who had been impacted by cancer to ‘nurture all that…lies beyond the disease’ in a simple yet poignant reflection on her own journey to mark World Cancer Day on February 4.
The tweet from the Princess ‘absolutely’ resonated with Gabby Mottershead, who was diagnosed with infllammatory breast cancer.
Femail also spoke to triple negative breast cancer survivor Vicky Saynor about Kate’s message, with the Hertfordshire resident adding that ‘people who are going through similar will absolutely agree’ with what the royal said.
The Princes of Wales is pictured at The National Portrait Gallery on World Cancer Day earlier this week
Kate uploaded a statement on X along with a powerful quote about the disease ahead of World Cancer Day
Gabby Mottershead, 61
Gabby Mottershead, from Manchester, was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 2008 – just weeks after her father-in-law passed away on Boxing Day.
She told Femail, that Kate’s message had ‘absolutely’ resonated with her because she knows the disease can strip away ‘every other facet of your being’.
‘She’s hit the nail on the head. I think part of the struggle is losing your identity because, for a while, you’re not the person that you used to be – you’re just a cancer patient.
‘When you complete treatment, it’s almost like you want to put it in a box and think ‘I am more than a cancer survivor, I don’t want it to taint the rest of my life’.
‘The Royal Family are speaking so openly [about cancer] and it’s got to be a good thing. [Kate] speaks very well and compassionately about self-care,’ Gabby continued.
Gabby received her diagnosis after she discovered the texture of the skin on her breast had changed and immediately rushed to a GP.
She then went through six rounds of chemotherapy at a high dosage, with the treatment resulting in hair loss.
She received radiotherapy treatment, and even underwent a mastectomy to prevent the disease from recurring.
Gabby Mottershead, who had inflammatory breast cancer in 2008, said that Kate’s message on X ‘absolutely’ resonated with her
The mother-of-two she ‘felt like a freak’ after having one of her breasts removed and worried that she would never be able to heal from the trauma of losing a part of herself.
‘I felt like a shell of a person.
‘What made it worse was that I was reaching out and getting to know all the people who were going through the same thing on online communities, and got quite friendly with these people and then they died.
‘I felt really guilty about that. I was like ‘Why have they died and I haven’t?’
She added that she battled anxiety and depression for two years after two years after she overcame cancer, adding
Gabby also struggled with accepting her body after the mastectomy when she went on holiday ‘with one breast’ and was surrounded by women in their swimwear.
‘With the treatment, I put on a lot of weight and my face bloated, I had no hair, no eyelashes, no eyebrows and you look in the mirror and think ‘I don’t know who this person is anymore.’
‘I think it’s a big thing for women, feeling like they’ve lost their identity. It affects your relationship too. I didn’t want to get undressed in front of my husband with one breast.’
‘That was very difficult and then the following year I went on holiday with one breast and you feel like a freak,’ she said.
Gabby was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in January 2008, just weeks after her father-in-law died on Boxing Day
Gabby now also has neuropathy, a nerve problem which has left her unable to feel her fingers and toes.
Looking back, Gabby continued, her diagnosis forced her to focus on her health and family above everything else after years of being the ‘first one in the office and last to leave’.
She is also dedicating her time to helping other survivors navigating the changes that follow cancer treatment with Confidence After Cancer, a coaching platform Gabby set up in the wake of her own journey.
She said: ‘I just wanted to share my experience and all the things that I’ve learnt and it does resonate with a lot of people – feeling like they’re not alone.’
Vicky Saynor, 49
Vicky Saynor, 49, from Hertfordshire, who had triple negative breast cancer, said she believes that the Princess of Wales and King Charles should share what cancer they were diagnosed with to raise awareness of it.
She said: ‘I think it’s deeply sad that [Kate] hasn’t shared what cancer she had and that’s my personal view, because I think she would have saved a lot of lives doing that, you know the Jade Goody and Bowel Babe effect.
‘We need to normalise talk about cancer, it’s not something to be embarrassed about. It’s a shame.’
King Charles told the public he had cancer last February but he did not specify what kind. He is still receiving treatment for the disease.
Vicky Saynor, 49, said she thought Kate and Charles should have shared which cancer they had to raise awareness of it
Speaking about Kate’s quote ahead of World Cancer Day, Vicky added: ‘It’s a bit of a cryptic statement, I don’t think the British population would actually understand what she means by that. But I agree with her. I’m sure that people who are going through similar will absolutely agree.
‘I thought it was really sad that she and the King didn’t share their cancers. Why not? You’ve got it, why does it matter, you are going to save a lot of lives by getting people to get it checked. It’s cancer, it’s awareness.
‘Of course [Kate] will be going through all sorts of things, no doubt about it. I mean I always felt for her the few times she came out when she was going through chemotherapy. The pressure she was under to look good, it would’ve been horrendous. ‘
Vicky checked herself every month for lumps and came across one on her chest at the end of 2018, when she was 42.
She was waiting at Heathrow Airport with her new husband as the pair were about to jet off on holiday for their honeymoon.
When she went in to have the lump checked by doctors, she was dismissed and told that it was nothing to worry about. But Vicky knew something was wrong and continued to push to get a biopsy.
She was eventually diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, having surgery to remove the lump just before Christmas that year.
Vicky had chemotherapy and radiotherapy which made her lose her hair and she has since experienced side effects from the treatment.
Vicky checked herself every month for lumps and came across one on her chest at the end of 2018, when she was 42 and it turned out to be triple negative breast cancer
She went through medically-induced menopause which left her feeling ‘borderline suicidal’.
‘I told my husband in 2021 “If this is my life after breast cancer and I’m 44 and this is what it’s going to be like, then I don’t want to be here and I don’t want to be here for you because I’m awful to live with,” I was angry, sad and unfit,’ Vicky said.
She also had type-two diabetes, which she managed to reverse, however, she has been left with a liver condition where the organ cannot process cholesterol properly.
She was prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by a private doctor, who she felt listened to her when others didn’t, tearfully adding: ‘I literally owe that woman my life.’
But she also opened up about feeling as though she had ‘used up’ people’s sympathy by having cancer, another element she has had to learn to navigate since she was told there was no evidence of disease.
Vicky said: ‘Once you’ve had cancer, it feels like you’ve used up a lot of people’s goodwill and they sort of get a bit bored of your problems after that.
‘You say the cancer word to anybody and they think that it’s way worse than menopause. But I didn’t want to kill myself when I had cancer.’
Vicky also worries about her triple-negative breast cancer returning and said: ‘You just walk around thinking ‘Is it in my body still? Is it going to manifest somewhere else?’
Not only did the cancer affect her mental and physical health, but it also impacted her marriage.
Vicky and her husband, who have now separated, only had three months of marriage where the disease was not a part of their lives.
She said their sex life stopped during treatment and didn’t come back which was a ‘massive issue’ for the couple.
Because of the type of cancer she had, Vicky must get mammograms done every year to check and see if it has returned. She is currently in her sixth year of being classed as no evidence of disease and if she makes it to seven, Vicky will be in remission.
Pritpal Kaur, 74
Pritpal Kaur, 74, who is in remission from myeloma, said she agreed with the Princess of Wales’ quote, adding: ‘I feel the same way as her, you have to carry on and hope for the best.
‘[Kate] has inspired me, she was going out and working and I thought good on her, I think if you’ve seen what she’s done, anybody can do that, you just have to carry on.’
Pritpal from Hayes, was diagnosed with myeloma in 2023, which is a form of blood cancer that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow.
She said: ‘I was really fit and healthy until I started feeling tired, low energy, my back was really hurting quite badly and I was sleeping all the time.’
Pritpal Kaur, 74, who is in remission from myeloma, said she agreed with the Princess of Wales’ quote
Pritpal from Hayes, (pictured right with daughter Minreet, left) was diagnosed with myeloma in 2023, which is a form of blood cancer that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow
Pritpal (pictured with daughter Minreet and husband Rajinder) had weekly chemotherapy for six weeks before it dropped down to every other week and she continued to have treatment for six months
Pritpal went to the GP after she attempted to run the London marathon in April 2023, but experienced painful cramping at mile 17.
This led to her having to be helped out by medics on a stretcher, meaning she never got to complete her goal of running 26.2 miles.
She told Femail that the diagnosis came as a shock, as she was originally told she had angina by doctors.
She was experiencing shortness of breath and although she was given a blood test, doctors did not check for myeloma.
Her daughter, Minreet, then said she complained to the NHS and five months later, Pritpal was diagnosed with cancer.
Pritpal said: ‘When they told me I had cancer, I started crying, I said “Where’s that come from?” Because I was fit and eating healthy. My daughter was in shock as well, I know she cried.’
She had weekly chemotherapy for six weeks before it dropped down to every other week and she continued to have treatment for six months.
‘When I was going through my treatment I felt so low and felt like I didn’t want to be living here at all, I’d rather just die. It was quite bad, those six months were really hard for me to go through,’ she said.
Pritpal was told she was in remission in March 2024 and although she finally got the diagnosis, the damage had been done to her bones.
Pritpal said when she was diagnosed with cancer she started crying as it came as a big shock
Before she had cancer, Pritpal would also go into schools and encourage physical exercise alongside her husband, Rajinder Singh (pictured left)
Pritpal was told she was in remission in March 2024 and although she finally got the diagnosis, the damage had been done to her bones
Pritpal says she does have down days and sometimes cries about how the disease has altered her body and way of life
Although she is cancer-free, she has to continue to get monthly infusions to strengthen her bones after the disease damaged them.
This has affected her life in many ways, as she is not able to do all of the activities she used to be able to partake in with ease.
Speaking about the monthly treatment, Pritpal said: ‘I do get down about it as well. I just have to be positive and do exercise and look after myself.’
The part-time sales associate couldn’t do all the exercises and chores she used to do before such as cleaning but she hasn’t given up hope that she will ‘go back to normal’ one day.
Pritpal says she does have down days and sometimes cries about how the disease has altered her body and way of life.
Before she had cancer, Pritpal would also go into schools and encourage physical exercise alongside her husband, Rajinder Singh, who would teach children how to skip.
Minreet added: ‘My mum said she wanted to go back and do a full marathon, but she’ll never be able to do it again because this could really impact her. It’s taken away [the opportunity].
‘She’s not back to her normal self and probably never will be.
‘It’s turned our lives upside down, you have to live a new normal now. Once you’ve been through something like this, even with Kate, it’s the same thing, you become vulnerable to catching infection and you are high risk.’
For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org for details