The Princess of Wales has spoken candidly about her cancer recovery and the comfort she found in the natural world in a rare interview published in the Prince of Wales’s guest-edited edition of Country Life.
A new portrait by Josh Shinner shows Kate, 44, standing beside a tree in the autumn sunshine—a fitting image for a royal whose lifelong connection with nature has remained central to her public work and personal life.
Wearing a Ralph Lauren Schmitt Herringbone Tweed Jacket, the Princess sat down with acclaimed author Robert Macfarlane to discuss how the outdoors helped her navigate the difficult period after her cancer diagnosis in 2024.
Reflecting on what she was told in hospital, Kate said: ‘I was told in hospital that my recovery would not be linear. There will be good days and bad days, that it will take time. This is the same in Nature.’
Asked by Mr Macfarlane where she draws her greatest sense of hope, Kate pointed to the ‘lessons Nature teaches’, saying they remind her ‘we are not alone and that we’re interconnected with something bigger than ourselves’.
She described nature as a ‘quiet teacher’ during some of the most challenging periods of her life. ‘Having a sense of connection, trusted people around you and places where you feel at peace can be incredibly important during difficult times,’ the royal added.
Kate also revealed more about her approach to raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. She said she tries to give them the ‘freedom to explore, rather than constantly telling them what to see or what to think’.
The Princess of Wales has spoken openly about her time in hospital and cancer recovery in a rare interview for the Prince of Wales’s guest-edited edition of Country Life
The Princess of Wales’s interview appears in a special commemorative issue of Country Life, guest edited by the Prince of Wales and published on November 11
The Prince of Wales turned the project into a family affair, including a striking drawing of a kingfisher by his eldest son, Prince George
For the portrait, Kate teamed the elegant jacket with a Ribbed Crew Neck Sweater from Savile Row, a Brora Fashion Blouse and an Emilia Wickstead skirt. She completed the look with her much-loved Cartier Trinity hoop earrings.
The Princess also voiced concern about the high levels of anxiety many young people experience in a rapidly changing, technology-driven world.
Nature, she suggested, gives children space to develop their creativity and imagination away from screens and the pressures of digital life.
Kate recalled that her own love of the outdoors began during childhood, when she played in streams, picked blackberries and spent time ‘simply… alone in my own world, enjoying the simplicity of ordinary things’. Those experiences gave her a sense of freedom ‘that is hard to find elsewhere’.
She also praised Mind Over Mountains, a charity that provides professional mental fitness support by bringing people together in natural surroundings.
In January, the Princess joined the organisation for a wellbeing and mindfulness walk in the Peak District, exploring how time outdoors can support mental health.
Spending time outside—particularly during childhood—has long been a central theme of Kate’s work on early-years development.
For the Princess, nature offers a rare sense of acceptance.
‘It doesn’t ask anything of us. It doesn’t judge us or expect us to perform,’ she said.
‘It simply allows us to be. It really has been my sanctuary and a place I’ve instinctively wanted to go.’
Kate, pictured earlier this year, also discussed raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, saying she tries to give them the ‘freedom to explore’ rather than directing what they should see or think
In January 2024, the Princess was admitted to hospital for major abdominal surgery. Two months later, she announced in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
In September of that year, Kate said she had completed her treatment, while cautioning that her recovery and return to royal duties would be gradual.
The following January, she revealed that she was in remission during an unexpected visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she had received treatment.
Since then, Kate has spoken publicly about the personal challenges of cancer. In 2025, she and the Prince of Wales became Joint Patrons of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
In June, she completed the demanding Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for the Royal Marsden. The event requires participants to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Yr Wyddfa in Wales within 24 hours.
In a message written to accompany a photograph of Kate at the summit of Ben Nevis, the Princess said: ‘Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in this country hear the words no one wants to hear.
‘Cancer doesn’t just affect the body. It changes how you think and feel and profoundly affects every aspect of life. I know this personally, and that the journey through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone.’
The interview appears in a special commemorative edition of Country Life, guest edited by the Prince of Wales and released on November 11.
William made the issue a family project, including an impressive drawing by his eldest son, Prince George.
The 13-year-old future king appears to have inherited his mother’s artistic talent, creating a detailed sketch of a kingfisher.
The Daily Mail understands that George, now a pupil at Eton, is passionate about drawing and completed the artwork at home in the spring.
William admired the picture so much that he chose to include it in the special edition.
The Prince also writes about his younger children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and family walks with their dogs, Orla and Otto. He reveals that all three children enjoy being outdoors and exploring.
Their enthusiasm, he says, informs his work on the future of the countryside and his commitment to leaving a better environment for generations to come.
In the magazine’s leader column, William writes: ‘The places you love best are not the ones you preserve unchanged, but the ones you keep quietly improving.
‘One day, George, Charlotte and Louis may ask me what I did to help communities thrive… we didn’t simply imagine a better future, we helped build it, so that someone else could build further still.’
The collectors’ edition also explores the gardens at Highgrove, King Charles’s country home in Gloucestershire, which have been a lifelong labour of love for the monarch.
William writes about Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as family walks with their dogs, Orla and Otto
William spent six months working with Country Life editor Mark Hedges and managing editor Paula Minchin to reveal more about his personal life
William also recalls that, as a young man living at Highgrove, he had to remember not to open the curtains before getting dressed because the gardens were frequently crowded with visitors.
The future king spent six months working closely with Country Life editor Mark Hedges and managing editor Paula Minchin, offering an insight into his family life, interests and the causes that shape his work.
He discusses his support for people who live and work in the countryside through the Duchy of Cornwall and Sandringham, as well as his continuing focus on mental health.
William’s beloved Aston Villa also features in the issue. He calls the football club his ‘second family’, while its manager, Unai Emery, contributes an interview on leadership.
Mark Hedges, Editor-in-Chief of Country Life, said: ‘The Prince of Wales has been a formidable, hands-on guest editor whose commitment to the future of the countryside, willingness to shine a light on darker issues and determination to highlight environmental emergencies, is reflected in every feature personally chosen by him.
‘We also see The Prince as family man, football fan and with a weakness for a chocolate cake first served to him by his grandmother.
‘His skills as a guest editor have been admirable and the result is a glorious edition, which I am sure will be a sell-out.’
Royal aides say William was ‘really close’ to the project and played an active role in every editorial decision.
His father, aunt Princess Anne and stepmother Queen Camilla have all previously taken on guest-editing duties for the magazine.
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