Catherine, Princess of Wales has visited the hospital where she was treated for cancer after completing a charity climb to help fund a new unit there earlier this year.

Catherine carried out the Three Peaks Challenge in June, which involves climbing the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours, in aid of the Royal Marsden in London.

The amount of money she raised has not been made public, but it will go towards a new unit offering complementary healing alongside clinical care.

The princess, who announced she was receiving cancer treatment in March 2024, spoke to patients and staff about the importance of supporting patients with more than just physical treatment.

Catherine sat down and chatted to those receiving treatment at the hospital on Friday, including patients with breast cancer, head and neck cancer and a brain tumour.

“When you first get cancer, you’re very aware of the physical impact,” a patient told her. “The mental impact comes after.”

He said it had been a “lifesaver” to be able to talk to a therapist at the hospital, because “there is only so much you can say to your friends and family”.

The princess agreed: “Cancer is not just the physical changes your body is going through.

“There’s a mind-body aspect that changes who you are… having professionals who can help you navigate that is really essential,” she said.

Another patient said she had gone from being aged 46 to feeling “like I was 86”.

Catherine, who announced in January 2025 that she was in remission, agreed about the need to support the whole person – saying holistic treatment helped patients “adjust to the lifestyle change that cancer has brought”.

Money raised by her mountain climbs will now be used for the The Centre for Holistic Wellbeing and Recovery. It is intended to offer cancer patients a wider sense of recovery, beyond physical treatment, and addressing a sense of emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing.

She previously said the challenge was also a “chance to explore life beyond diagnosis”, as well as giving back.

Catherine’s trip to the London hospital follows a visit on Thursday with her husband Prince William to support a suicide prevention project being launched in Liverpool.

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