The Princess of Wales made an unannounced and personal visit on Saturday evening as she stepped out in support of the Ever After Garden, which is run by the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
The garden, which is open between 13 November and 16 December, encourages people to donate and dedicate a rose to a loved one. Kate dedicated her own rose and spoke to volunteers who help to keep the garden running.
The message on her rose read: "In loving memory of all those who have lost their lives to cancer."
In a personal message after her visit, the royal mum-of-three said: "Thank you to all those who have contributed to the Ever After Garden, which raises vital funds for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Every flower, every light, is a memory held together, an illumination of shared love, remembrance, and hope." She signed off the message with the letter 'C'.
© Kensington PalaceThe initiative was first launched in 2019, and has since raised £1.6 million. This year, the donations to the charity number £400,000. 400 volunteers work to keep the installation running during the month.
Kate's cancer journey
Kate confirmed that she had been diagnosed with cancer in a video released on 22 March 2024 after spending several months out of the public eye. The royal underwent a very restricted schedule as she underwent preventive chemotherapy for the condition.
The royal made appearances at Wimbledon and Trooping the Colour, before releasing a second video on 9 September 2024 announcing that she had completed chemotherapy. On 14 January, the royal announced that she was in remission during a visit to the Royal Marsden, where she was treated.
© Kensington PalaceA Kensington Palace spokesman said at the time: "The Princess wanted to make the journey to both show her gratitude to the incredible team, but also highlight the world leading care and treatment the Marsden provides."
Kate hasn't shared many updates about living with the condition, but in October 2025, her husband, the Prince of Wales spoke to actor Eugene Levy about how he handled his wife being diagnosed with the illness.
© Kensington PalaceAppearing on The Reluctant Traveller, William said: "I'd say 2024 was the hardest year that I've ever had. Trying to sort of balance protecting the children, Catherine, my father needs a bit of protection, but he's you know, he's old enough to do that himself as well.
"But it's important my family feel protected and have the space to process a lot of the stuff that's gone on last year, and that was tricky trying to do that and keep doing the job."
© Getty25 December 2023 – Kate is last seen publicly on Christmas Day
9 January 2024 – Kate celebrates her 42nd birthday, with the King and Queen sharing a behind-the-scenes photo from the coronation to mark the day.
11 January 2024 – William returns to royal duties, meeting rugby heroes Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
17 January 2024 – Kensington Palace announces in a statement that Kate has undergone abdominal surgery at the London Clinic and that William has temporarily stepped back from royal duties to care for Kate and their children.
18 January 2024 – William visits Kate at the London Clinic.
26 January 2024 – King Charles visits Kate in hospital before undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.
29 January 2024 – Kate is discharged from hospital and returns home to Windsor to continue her recovery. King Charles also leaves the London Clinic on the same day after his treatment.
7 February 2024 – William resumes royal duties attending London's Air Ambulance Charity gala with Tom Cruise.
10 February 2024 – William and Kate spend February half-term with George, Charlotte and Louis at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. Kate's siblings are also pictured on holiday during the school holidays, with James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet flying to the Caribbean with baby Inigo, and Pippa Matthews and her family holidaying on the island of St Barts.
27 February 2024 – Kate said to be "doing well" as William pulls out of King Constantine memorial due to a "personal matter".
29 February 2024 – Kensington Palace addresses social media speculation, reiterating: "We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter."
10 March 2024 - A photograph of Kate with their three children at home in Windsor is released to mark Mother's Day and to thank the public for their "continued support".
11 March 2024 - Kate publicly apologises for the "confusion" around the photograph as she admitted she "occasionally experiments with editing," after news agencies pulled the image amid claims it had been digitally altered. The Princess is then seen in a car with William as she's driven to a private appointment in London.
19 March 2024 - Footage of William and Kate leaving the Windsor Farm Shop is shared by The Sun and TMZ in the first video sighting of the Princess since surgery.
22 March 2024 - Princess Kate confirms that she has been diagnosed with cancer in a moving video message and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
18 April 2024 - Prince William returns to royal duties after spending Easter holidays privately as a family.
10 May 2024 - Prince William says Kate is "doing well" as he visits the Isles of Scilly.
21 May 2024 - Princess Kate is "excited" as Kensington Palace shares update on her early years work with the release of her Business Taskforce's prioritising childhood report.
8 June 2024 - Princess Kate writes letter to Irish Guards to apologise for not being able to take part in the salute at the Colonel's Review.
14 June 2024 - In a personal statement, Kate shares she is making "good progress" and that her "treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months".
15 June 2024 - Kate makes her first major public appearance since diagnosis at Trooping the Colour.
14 July 2024 - Kate watches the Men's final at Wimbledon with Princess Charlotte and Pippa Matthews.
11 August 2024 - William and Kate congratulate Team GB athletes in a video message after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
9 September 2024 - Kate confirms she's completed chemotherapy in moving video message.
10 October 2024 - Kate joins William on visit to bereaved families in Southport.
9/10 November 2024 - Princess attends Festival of Remembrance and Remembrance Day service at Cenotaph.
3 December 2024 - Kate greets Emir of Qatar alongside William during state visit.
6 December 2024 - The Princess of Wales hosts her Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.
25 December 2024 - William and Kate attend the Christmas Day church service in Sandringham with the royals.
14 January 2025 - The Princess confirms she's in remission after visiting The Royal Marsden hospital in London - where she was treated.
Speaking about how the diagnosis affected the couple's children, he added: "We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need, and we're a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us, but you never quite know the knock-on effects that it can have. And so, it's just important to be there for each other and to kind of reassure the children that everything is okay."
