The Princess of Wales has completed the National Three Peaks Challenge and issued a deeply personal statement about her cancer journey, describing the gruelling climb as a chance to “explore life beyond diagnosis” and raise awareness of holistic care for cancer patients across the UK.
Catherine, 44, completed the challenge — which involves ascending the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours — supported on the route by Mountain Rescue. She was greeted at the finish line in Wales by her husband Prince William, their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as her parents and brother James Middleton.
In a statement shared on social media after finishing, Catherine drew directly on her own experience of cancer to explain why she had taken on the challenge. “Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in this country hear the words no one wants to hear,” she wrote. “What follows is a path that tests every part of who we are: physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Cancer doesn’t just affect the body. It changes how you think and feel and profoundly affects every aspect of life.”
She continued: “I know this personally, and that the journey through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone. I have taken on the National Three Peaks Challenge, not simply as a physical endeavour but as a chance to explore life beyond diagnosis and to give something back. The Royal Marsden is a place that holds great meaning for me and whose care and expertise are life-changing for so many people.”
The challenge was undertaken in support of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, with a dedicated fundraising page launched to allow people across the country to donate. Catherine used the statement to make a broader argument for the role of holistic healthcare alongside clinical treatment, writing: “Holistic therapies complement clinical pathways and support patients’ ability to maintain their wellbeing, resilience and quality of life during an exceptionally difficult time. We have an opportunity to reshape what the future of holistic cancer care looks like, enabling more people, nationwide, to access the kind of personalised support that can help make a meaningful difference during and after medical treatment.”
She closed the statement with a message of solidarity to others living with cancer: “Together, we can stand alongside everyone navigating life with cancer, ensuring no one faces this disease feeling unseen or unsupported. Please know you are not alone.”
Catherine announced in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with cancer and had begun a course of preventive chemotherapy following abdominal surgery earlier that year. By September she confirmed she had completed chemotherapy, describing the previous nine months as “incredibly tough” for her family. In January 2025 she announced she was in remission, writing at the time: “It is a relief to now be in remission, and I remain focused on recovery.”
