UK's Princess Kate thanks staff at Royal Marsden for cancer treatment

Kate, Britain's Princess of Wales, visited the London hospital where she received treatment for cancer on Tuesday (January 14) to personally thank medics for their care and support, her office said. Kate, 43, underwent a course of preventative chemotherapy after major abdominal surgery a year ago revealed the presence of cancer, meaning she was only well enough to carry out a handful of public engagements for the remainder of 2024. On her first solo trip since returning to official duties, Kate paid a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in central London where she herself had undergone treatment which concluded in September. She met patients and staff and spoke of the care she had received at the hospital, with the trip also marking an announcement that she has become joint patron of the specialist cancer unit with her husband, the heir to the throne Prince William. In highly personal video messages, Kate has spoken of how hard her illness had been on her, William and their three young children, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Princes George, 11, and Louis, 6. Last year saw a traumatic 12 months for the royal family with King Charles also undergoing treatment for cancer. A Buckingham Palace source has said his treatment was moving in a positive direction and would continue this year. (Production: Bernat Parera, Paul Warren)