The Princess of Wales made a surprise appearance alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla to recognise the work of Cancer Research UK.
At a reception to mark the organisation’s 125th anniversary, the King and Catherine appeared together at their first cancer awareness event since their diagnoses and treatments in 2024.
Queen Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were also in attendance to celebrate cancer researchers, medical professionals, and other partners who work at Cancer Research UK.
The organisation researches more than 200 forms of cancer and in the past 50 years, according to their official website, they have doubled survival rates for cancer patients in the United Kingdom.
Catherine was “really wonderful” according to Davina McCall, a broadcaster who underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumour and was later diagnosed with breast cancer.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, McCall said it was a “liberating” conversation and spoke of how being a public figure on the level of King Charles and Catherine, and dealing with a cancer diagnosis, must have been very difficult.
“I can’t imagine what it must be like having going through something like cancer, and then sort of having to tell people about it, when possibly it would have been much easier and nicer to not have to share it with the world,” she said.
During the reception, the royals viewed exhibits from Cancer Research UK on how technology has advanced their research; and heard how the organisation plans to invest £1 billion into cancer research over the next three years.
On the Royal Family’s official social media accounts, Cancer Research UK was praised for “125 years of life-changing research” and tireless work to “transform how cancer is understood, prevented, detected and treated.”
King Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in February 2024 following a health check-up. He still receives treatments, though announced in December that thanks to early detection and medical care, he would be scaling back treatment this year.
Catherine was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer around the same time, though publicly announced the news in March 2024, and is now in remission.
