Princess Kate reveals she 'couldn't read' during cancer diagnosis as she makes moving confession – watch

The Princess of Wales has revealed she "didn't have the ability to read" in a moving confession about her cancer treatment. 

Kate, 44, said she struggled to "focus" after her diagnosis in 2024 as she met patients and staff in an art therapy room at The Christie in Manchester, a specialist cancer centre, last month. 

In a video that resurfaced online this week, the royal mother-of-three spoke to one man who has been visiting the art centre for three years and opened up about how it had helped him, despite not painting previously. 

The Princess told him that she had also turned to colouring after finding it hard to focus and not being able to read books anymore. 

© Getty Images

She said: "I don't know about you, but I didn't really have the ability to read or focus on anything. "And actually colouring was my way of exploring interesting things and being able to do something that didn't require an end product or an end finished piece. 

"But actually just a way of playing and losing yourself, exactly, and lots of thoughts came up in that process."

Prince William's wife, who is mother to Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, revealed she was in remission from cancer at the start of 2025. 

Why is it hard to focus during cancer treatment?

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), which is informally referred to as "chemo brain", is a common problem for patients. 

It may mean people experience memory loss, attention deficits, difficulty multitasking, or find it hard to listen or find the right words. 

© Kensington Palace

According to the Royal Marsden, where Kate underwent her treatment, it is caused both by the cancer itself and by treatments. 

It can be made worse by factors such as anxiety, fatigue, hormone balances and feeling unwell. 

Patients should take plenty of rest, and are encouraged to write down things that are important and to talk out loud. 

Princess Kate opens up about 'physical changes' during her cancer treatment

During her visit in June, Kate also spent time in the Oak Road Treatment Centre with patients undergoing chemotherapy. 

The Princess, who recycled one of her favourite blue coat dresses from Eponine, said: "You need to support yourself alongside all the things you can't control. Your body changes so much, not just physically, emotionally, but the deeper side of ourselves.

© Alamy Stock Photo

"It puts so much in perspective, and you hold onto what's important."

The Christie offers free therapies to patients and carers, which can help alleviate symptoms common with diagnosis, such as stress, depression, fear and worry.

It is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, looking after more than 60,000 patients a year, and serving a population of 3.2 million people from Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas.