Kate Middleton’s Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Timeline: Updates – TODAY
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Catherine, Princess of Wales, made her first official public appearance since revealing her cancer diagnosis when she attended Trooping the Colour over the weekend with her family.
Ahead of the annual June parade celebrating the official birthday of the monarch, there was much speculation about whether Kate would be there as she continues her cancer treatment. The day beforehand, she confirmed her attendance in a rare statement, though she clarified she’s not yet officially returning to royal duties.
The princess was seen wearing a white dress with black trim and a white hat at Trooping the Colour as she rode in a carriage to the event and waved at the public from the Buckingham Palace balcony. She missed the rehearsal for the parade, known as the Colonel’s Review, the week prior due to her health.
When announcing she’d attend Trooping the Colour, Kate gave her first update on her condition since announcing she had cancer. She shared that she is making “good progress” but has a few months left of chemotherapy and that she’s “not out of the woods.”
Before the June 15 celebration, the mother of three, 42, had not taken on any public-facing royal duties since late 2023. Here’s what we know about her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The Princess of Wales said that she was in the “early stages” of preventative chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer in a March 2024 video statement. She did not specify the kind of cancer.
The diagnosis came after Kate underwent major abdominal surgery in January. “At the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous,” she said in the video. “The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.”
Kate added that the news of her cancer diagnosis came as a “huge shock,” noting that she and her husband, Prince William, were aiming to “manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment,” she said. “But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.”
The princess assured viewers in the video that she is “well and getting stronger every day.” She also asked for “time, space and privacy” as she undergoes treatment and said she is focused on making a “full recovery.”
In her video statement, the princess did not specify what kind of cancer she is undergoing treatment for. She shared that it was discovered after an abdominal surgery in January.
The most common types of cancer discovered through abdominal surgery are gastrointestinal, such as colon or stomach, or genital or urinary, Dr. Ben Ho Park, director of precision oncology at Vanderbilt School of Medicine, told TODAY.com. He was sure to point out, however, that “it could be anything.”
In mid-January 2024, prior to her cancer diagnosis, Kate underwent a planned abdominal surgery.
In a statement released the following day, Kensington Palace wrote: “The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
The statement went on to say the palace would only provide updates that were “significant” and to apologize on behalf of the princess, who had to postpone all upcoming engagements.
Kate returned home to Windsor to continue to recover in late January, according to a palace statement, which added, “She is making good progress.”
At the time, a palace source told NBC News that she was expected to be recuperating for two to three months following the surgery.
“She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible,” the statement said.
A Kensington Palace source told NBC News in mid-January that William would be postponing appearances in the coming months and not conduct any official duties while his wife was in the hospital or immediately after she returned home.
For weeks after the surgery and before her cancer diagnosis was revealed, speculation, rumors and conspiracies theories swirled around the wellbeing of the future queen.
The palace has yet to reveal what the abdominal surgery was meant to address.
When Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis, she specified that she was undergoing “a course of preventative chemotherapy.”
While not a clinical term, Park says preventive (also known as adjuvant) chemotherapy refers to a treatment that follows any initial interventions, such as surgery, to prevent cancer from returning. Clinical trials have found that chemotherapy can reduce the risk of the cancer recurring.
In Kate’s June 2024 statement, she reflected on what it’s been like undergo chemotherapy.
“On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home,” she said.
“My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months,” she continued. “On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.”
While Kate attended Trooping the Colour on June 15, she is not making a full return to royal duties just yet, according to her statement.
“I’m looking forward to attending The King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet,” she said.
A senior palace aid previously told NBC News in late May: “She will return to work when she has the green light from her doctors. She needs her space and the privacy to recover right now.”
When her diagnosis was revealed in March, the palace said in an official statement: “The Princess will return to official duties when she is cleared to do so by her medical team. She is in good spirits and is focused on making a full recovery.”
The princess’s last public appearance before her cancer diagnosis came in late 2023 during her family’s annual Christmas church outing at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, near one of the king’s royal estates.
Kensington Palace announced that Kate had undergone “planned abdominal surgery” in mid-January. She was discharged from London Clinic, a private hospital, 13 days later.
At the time, the palace said that Kate would be recuperating for two to three months after her surgery (before her cancer diagnosis) and that William would be postponing appearances in the coming months while his wife recovered.
William pulled out of attending his godfather’s memorial service due to a “personal matter.” In a statement to NBC News in late February, the palace wouldn’t elaborate on the reason for William’s absence but said Kate “continues to be doing well.”
Kensington Palace later confirmed that the prince did not attend the service due to his wife’s cancer diagnosis.
In late February, as rumors about Kate’s health and whereabouts mounted, the palace issued another statement about her recovery, explaining that her absence from the public eye shouldn’t be unexpected.
“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates,” a spokesperson for the princess said in a statement to NBC News in late February. “That guidance stands.”
The first photo of Kate since the surgery was released in early March. Grainy images showed her in the passenger seat of a black SUV that appeared to be driven by her mother near Windsor Castle. The palace declined to comment on these photos.
A photo, posted on social media in honor of U.K. Mother’s Day, was the first official one released of Catherine since the surgery. According to the palace, it was taken by William the week prior.
It showed Kate with her three children. Alongside it, she also shared her first message since the procedure: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”
But within several hours of the photo being shared, it was retracted by major news agencies, including the Associated Press and Reuters, due to “manipulation.”
Kate addressed the controversy in a post on X, writing, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
The AP explained its decision to retract the photo in a statement to NBC News: “The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”
Reuters issued a similar editor’s note, withdrawing the image after “a post publication review.”
The editing controversy and lack of information about her whereabouts led to viral conspiracies about the princess and the royal family.
Later that month, some social media users speculated a March 11 photograph of Kate and William leaving their Windsor Castle residence was photoshopped. (A royal spokesperson confirmed at the time that they were attending a “private appointment.”)
But the agency that distributed it, Goff Photos, told TODAY.com in a statement that it was only “cropped and lightened, nothing has been doctored!”
In mid-March, a video reportedly of Kate and William at a market in Windsor taken over the weekend began to circulate online. Kensington Palace declined to comment on the footage.
William returned to royal duties in mid-April.
William’s public comments on his wife’s health have been minimal, but during a mid-May appearance, he shared a vague update when visiting St. Mary’s Community Hospital in the U.K. after a hospital administrator reportedly asked him about Kate.
“He said, ‘She’s doing well, thanks,’” hospital administrator Tracy Smith told reporters, according to the Associated Press.
Then in late May, a senior palace aid said the princess has not returned to royal duties, though she is engaged with an initiative about early childhood in the U.K.
The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood released a report earlier in May, and the future queen took time to review it, according to a spokesperson.
“Early childhood is a huge priority for the Princess and so she has been kept fully updated throughout the development of the Taskforce’s work, and she has seen the report,” they said.
On June 14, Kate released her first remarks on her cancer treatment since revealing her diagnosis in March. She shared that she is “not out of the woods” with her treatment and that she still has “a few more months” of chemotherapy left to go. Read her full remarks.
Earlier in June, Prince William told a veteran at a recent event that Catherine is doing “better.” His comments were made in response to a guest at an event in Portsmouth, England, marking the 80th anniversary of World War II’s D-Day.
“She would’ve loved to be here today,” William said.
Kate made her first public appearance since her diagnosis on June 15 at Trooping the Colour, an annual ceremony celebrating the king’s birthday.
Maddie Ellis is a weekend editor at TODAY Digital.
Scott Stump is a trending reporter and the writer of the daily newsletter This is TODAY (which you should subscribe to here!) that brings the day’s news, health tips, parenting stories, recipes and a daily delight right to your inbox. He has been a regular contributor for TODAY.com since 2011, producing features and news for pop culture, parents, politics, health, style, food and pretty much everything else.
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