Kate’s brave cancer battle: From shock surgery in January to diagnosis and chemotherapy, how Princess of Wales has fought disease away from the public eye as she makes return

The Princess of Wales has endured an extremely tough year so far, with her return to the public eye coming four months after she began chemotherapy treatment.

Kate was diagnosed with cancer in February and has been resting at home in Windsor with the help of her husband Prince William and the Middleton family.

The mother-of-three appealed for time, space and privacy for her family when she revealed on March 22 she was being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.

Now, the Princess has penned a moving personal message thanking the public for their support and revealing she will attend Trooping the Colour tomorrow.

The future Queen began ‘preventative chemotherapy’ late in February, and was said at the time to have had a positive mindset for her recovery and be in good spirits.

While Kate has occasionally been spotted out, she has mostly been at home to focus on her recovery with William balancing royal duties alongside looking after her.

Kensington Palace previously said she would only ‘return to official duties when she is cleared to do so by her medical team’ and was ‘focused on making a full recovery’.

Tests at the time of Kate’s abdominal surgery on January 16 showed her condition was non-cancerous, but post-operative tests found cancer had been present.

William and Kate then took the time to sensitively share her diagnosis with their children ahead of the Easter holidays, giving them time to process the information.

Since William returned to royal duties, he has given positive updates about his wife – including saying on a visit to the Isles of Scilly on May 10 that ‘she’s doing well’.

Then on June 5 he said Kate would have ‘loved’ to have joined commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day – and, speaking to a veteran in Portsmouth, he also appeared to say ‘she is’ when asked if his wife was ‘getting any better’.

In her message today, the Princess says she has been ‘blown away’ by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months.

‘It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times,’ she wrote.

Movingly she reveals she is making ‘good progress’, but adds: ‘As anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days.

‘On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.’

Before the cancer announcement on March 22, and while Kate was recovering at home from her abdominal surgery, there was intense speculation and conspiracy theories on social media about her whereabouts and health.

Rumours online intensified after William missed, at very short notice, the memorial service of his godfather the late King Constantine of Greece on February 27.

It was later revealed that William’s decision not to attend was related to his wife’s condition, but it is still not known when the princess was told about the positive test for cancer.

Further speculation was triggered after the princess admitted to ‘editing’ her official Mother’s Day photograph which had irregularities.

A further development saw an investigation launched by the UK’s privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, into allegations there were attempts to access Kate’s private medical records at the London Clinic where she had her surgery.

Then, in her announcement in March, she revealed the cancer – saying the abdominal surgery was successful but she then took time to recover from the major operation in order to start the treatment.

While Kensington Palace has never commented on her prognosis, Kate said in her message: ‘It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.

‘As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.’

Kensington Palace has also never commented on the length of the course of chemotherapy, or how often she is having treatment.

It was also never confirmed where she was being treated, but her medical team were said to have been considering a balance of factors including the most appropriate specialists for her condition, the impact on other patients of resources, and privacy and security.

It is understood Kate delayed revealing the news of her cancer to the public because she wanted time and space to come to terms with diagnosis, recover from surgery and then begin her pathway to recovery.

William and Kate also wanted to be able to tell their children at the right time and allow them to understand and consider the news before it became public.

They decided to make the announcement at a point when Prince George, Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis were away from school on their Easter holidays.

The family then spent the holidays together as they adjusted to Kate’s diagnosis, while other members of the Royal Family including the King attended an Easter Sunday service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

At the time of the original announcement, Kensington Palace also said: ‘Their Royal Highnesses understand the interest this update will generate and are grateful for the public support they have received throughout this period.

‘Kensington Palace will provide information, when the time is right, and the Princess is able to restart work and her duties. In the meantime, we would ask that the family’s privacy is respected.’

Royal aides also said at the time that Kate may be keen to attend events as and when she feels able, in line with medical advice, but any initial public events would not necessarily signal a return to a regular public schedule.

In the video, Kate spoke about the ‘huge shock’ after tests identified cancer following her abdominal surgery and the ‘incredibly tough couple of months’ her family had experienced, with her voice cracking with emotion at times during the footage.

It was hoped that the announcement would end weeks of intense speculation and conspiracy theories on social media about her whereabouts and health.

One day later, Kate and William were said to be ‘enormously touched’ and ‘extremely moved’ by the public’s warmth and goodwill messages.

There was a global outpouring of support, including from the King, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, political figures and members of the public.

Charles himself has been receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer since early February after he was treated for an enlarged prostate at the same hospital where Kate had abdominal surgery.

By March 27, Queen Camilla said the Princess was ‘thrilled’ by all the public support when she met two girls in Shrewsbury holding posters with the poignant words ‘send our love to Kate’.

Then on April 9 it was revealed Kate had become the UK’s most popular royal in the wake of her cancer diagnosis.

The Princess jumped ahead of her husband William, with 76 per cent of Britons quizzed saying they had a positive view of her.

William, with a 73 per cent positive rating in the YouGov poll, fell from the top position with a drop of one percentage point in contrast to January, but he still remained the second most favourite royal.

Two days later on April 12, William and Prince George attended an Aston Villa match together in their first public outing since the cancer announcement.

The Prince of Wales was seen smiling and applauding in the Villa Park stands in Birmingham as they celebrated the club’s 2-1 win against Lille in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.

By April 16, it was confirmed that William would carry out his first official engagements since his wife revealed her diagnosis.

The 41-year-old heir to the throne visited Surplus to Supper, a surplus food redistribution charity, in Sunbury-on-Thames, and then a youth centre in west London which benefits from the organisation’s regular deliveries.

And on April 23, a new photograph of Prince Louis taken by Kate was released by Kensington Palace to mark his sixth birthday.

The unedited close-up image showed Louis grinning at the camera as he lies barefoot on a blanket on the grass.

It was posted on Kensington Palace’s social media accounts, some six weeks after the furore surrounding the Mother’s Day portrait which the princess admitted editing.

William and Kate were said to have been cognisant of the fact that they have asked for privacy during the princess’s recovery, but wanted to share the photograph on social media as a way to thank those who have sent birthday wishes.

The same process was followed for Princess Charlotte’s birthday in May.

On April 23, Kate was honoured for her public service and support of the arts by the King, as she was appointed Royal Companion of The Order of the Companions of Honour.

The prestigious appointment was a new one especially created for Kate, and is the first member of the royal family to be appointed a Royal Companion in the order’s 107-year history.

Charles recommended the special honour for his ‘beloved daughter-in-law’, with appointees to the Companions of Honour in the gift of the Cabinet Office, the palace said.

The decision by the King, who is also being treated for cancer, to suggest Kate for the honour was seen as a major show of support for the princess amid the challenges she has been facing.

Three days later on April 26, it was announced that the King would be returning to public facing royal duties following the positive effect of his cancer treatment.

But sources stressed at the time that despite the welcome news, the King still has cancer and will continue to be treated for the undisclosed form of the disease.

Then on April 29, a previously unseen portrait of William and Kate was released by Kensington Palace in celebration of the couple’s 13th wedding anniversary.

The photograph by Millie Pilkington – who took the most recent picture of the King and Queen to mark Charles’s return to public duties – showed William and Kate on their wedding day in 2011.

Just over three weeks later on May 21, Kate said to be ‘excited’ by her business taskforce’s new report that claims the UK could reap £45.5billion in economic benefits if firms prioritise early childhood.

Kate has been following the work of chief executives she convened last year to galvanise business action on the importance of the formative years of a child’s development.

Kate’s long-term campaign Shaping Us has been described as the Princess’ ‘life’s work’, and aimed at highlighting the crucial first five years of a child’s life.

But one day later, royal fans and art critics condemned a new portrait of the Princess which was meant to capture her courage and dignity.

The painting by British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor, which featured on the cover of Tatler magazine, took inspiration from Kate’s cancer diagnosis video message.

But social media users poked fun at the canvas, questioning the likeness.

The Telegraph’s chief art critic Alastair Sooke called the depiction ‘egregiously, intolerably, jaw-hits-the-floor bad’, asking: ‘Has there been a flatter, more lifeless royal portrait in living memory?’

Then on May 25, William and Kate issued a joint statement to say they were ‘incredibly sad’ after a Royal Air Force pilot died in a Spitfire crash near RAF Coningsby.

William and Kate said on their Kensington Palace X account: ‘Incredibly sad to hear of the news this afternoon from RAF Coningsby.

‘Our thoughts this evening are with the pilot’s loved ones, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and the wider RAF family. W & C.’

And on May 30, it was confirmed that Kate will not inspect the troops at the event known as The Colonel’s Review on June 8.

The ceremony is held seven days ahead of Trooping the Colour which has marked the sovereign’s birthday for more than 260 years.

But at the time it remained unclear whether the Princess would attend Trooping the Colour.

One week later, Kate wrote a letter to the Irish Guards to apologise for not being able to take the salute and wish them luck for the Colonel’s Review.

The Princess, who is colonel of the regiment, spoke of her pride in them and added that being colonel ‘remains an honour’.