Kate's 'unprecedented burst of personal openness' toward cancer sufferers at Colchester Hospital shows why she's so wildly popular
During a visit to a cancer treatment centre at Colchester Hospital in Essex in England, the 43-year- old future Queen met fellow cancer patients and said that her own struggle with the disease had been 'a roller coaster' with setbacks as well as progress.
Kate was first diagnosed with the disease in March last year and underwent a course of chemotherapy before announcing that her cancer was in remission this January.
But fears about Kate's health were renewed last month when she cancelled a scheduled appearance at a high society horse racing meeting at Ascot near London at the last minute.
Her visit to the Colchester hospital and sharing reassuring news of her health, will be welcomed by her large fan base who were worried by her unexplained 'no show' at Royal Ascot.
Discussing her treatment with other cancer patients Kate said: 'You put on a brave face, sort of stoicism , treatment done. Then it's like 'I can crack on, get back to normal' but actually the next phase is really, really difficult.'
Whatever their views of the monarchy, Princess Kate is wildly popular among the general public in Britain and is widely thought to hold the future of the institution in her hands.
In stark contrast to other members of the Royal family, Kate, who has three children with her husband Prince William, is credited with never putting a foot wrong since her romance with the heir to the throne began when they were students at St Andrew's University in Scotland.
They married at Westminster Abbey in 2011.
Her popularity meant that there was intense anxiety when she was diagnosed with a disease which afflicts millions of Britons and is the biggest cause of premature deaths along with cardiovascular conditions like heart attacks and strokes.
The humbly born Kate (her mother Carol Middleton once worked as an air hostess 'trolley dolly') has been praised for her grace and modest style - the polar opposite of the attention grabbing antics of her sister-in-law Meghan Markle, the wife of William's exiled younger brother Prince Harry.
The anxiety with which her fans have followed the progress of Kate's treatment was made all the more acute by the fact that her father-in-law King Charles was also diagnosed with cancer at the same time as her - and is still undergoing treatment.
Neither Kate, nor the 76-year-old King have disclosed exactly what form of cancer they are suffering from , but Kate's latest sharing of news of her progress is a welcome step forward for an institution that is traditionally reticent about the health of the Royals.
A cancer diagnosis is a serious matter for anyone , and Kate's honesty about her struggle with the life-threatening condition will give a shot of hope and optimism to all those who are in a similar position to her.
It proves that neither wealth, Royal rank nor privileges can provide protection against a disease that has been called the 'plague of our age'.
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