In 2024, Kate Middleton took plenty of time away from the spotlight to focus on her health after undergoing abdominal surgery in January of that year and subsequently learning she had cancer. In September 2024, the Princess of Wales announced that she was cancer free, and in January, she visited her hospital once more and announced that she was officially in remission.

During her trip to The Royal Marsden Hospital, where she received her cancer treatment, Kate met with patients undergoing chemotherapy. She also was spotted without her engagement ring, having replaced it with a different one for the visit — and there is some speculation as to why.

Kate Middleton says she is ‘looking forward’ to a much better year

Kate sat down with various people who were going through cancer treatment, speaking to them about her own experience. She and William also announced on that same day that they are now Joint Patrons of the hospital. Kate previously stepped out of the spotlight after Christmas, and Kensington Palace announced her surgery in mid-January 2024. After spending two months out of the public eye, Kate revealed her cancer news in March 2024, then made another announcement in late summer that her treatment had ended.

The Princess of Wales had fans, celebrities, and other royals all rally around her during her treatment, and now, she is ready for a new beginning. After spending time at the hospital to give thanks, Kate wrote a nice message on Instagram, adding that she “looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to.”

Kate continues to focus on fully feeling herself again, and she has also put a substantial focus on her family. William and Kate have always vowed to give their children a more normal life, and Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are growing up largely outside the public eye. Kate and William will likely focus more on being parents after Kate’s life-changing situation, but it’s nice to see the princess likely also plans to make more public appearances in 2025.

Kate Middleton was spotted without her engagement ring for the recent appearance

Kate’s visit was not surprising, considering how grateful she has been for the people who treated her. The princess chose to wear a different ring during her visit. Rather than her $350,000 engagement ring, Kate opted for her $1,800 eternity ring, which is rumored to have been a gift to the princess from her husband, Prince William, after the birth of their first son, Prince George, in 2013.

According to Express, jeweler Tobias Kormind of 77 Diamonds previously said that the ring “may be a symbol of hopeful new beginnings, with a poignant connection to the past,” when it was given to the princess. She might have chosen to wear it to the hospital visit as a symbolic gesture with the same meaning, but for a different situation. Kate and William entered a new beginning when they became parents, but her post-cancer journey is a new beginning, too.