Kate Middleton Reflects on Family Life During Cancer Treatment: 'It’s Just Trying to Do the Best'

Kate Middleton is reflecting on how her family life was impacted during her cancer journey.

The Princess of Wales, 43, surprised patients and staff at the hospital where she was treated for much of last year — and revealed some of the challenges she and her family faced.

As she toured the Royal Marsden Hospital in London on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at every turn patients and staff asked how she was feeling. When one concerned patient told her, “I think you’ve managed the children amazingly well,” Kate replied, “It’s just trying to do the best.”

And she added, The Daily Mirror reported, “You think treatment is finished, crack on with that . . . daily tasks . . . but that’s still a real challenge. And understanding that as a patient, yes, there are side effects around treatment, but actually there are more long-term side effects.”

In another conversation, Kate smiled warmly as Ruth Bosworth, who was at the hospital while her husband Richard was getting treatment, echoed the sentiment that the princess had navigated the journey while caring for her children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, so well. Recalling the cycles of treatment, Kate admitted, “sometimes you feel relatively well, and then you have another one.”

Related: Kate Middleton Opens Up About Her Private Cancer Journey: 'You Need Loads of Water and Sunlight'

Earlier, as she entered the hospital, Kate said that she had made "many quiet, private visits" while a spokesperson at Kensington Palace added she had wanted to make the public journey on Jan. 14 "to both show her gratitude to the incredible team, but also highlight the world leading care and treatment the Marsden provides."

During the visit, Kate talked about the importance of self-care during and after treatment, Princess Kate said, "I really felt like I needed to get the sun. You need loads of water and loads of sunlight."

Her visit came as she and husband Prince William, 42, were announced as patrons of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. That builds on William's work with the hospital trust over more than a decade. He was made President of the hospital — which has its original base in Chelsea, London — in 2007, a role that had been held by his late mother Princess Diana.

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After the royal visit early on Jan. 14, Dame Cally Palmer, Chief Executive of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said staff were "delighted" that Kate and William had become joint patrons of the hospital. "It is inspiring for staff and patients and enables us to shine a light on the outstanding work our staff deliver every day for patients and their families," Palmer added.

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