Kate Middleton‘s cancer is now in remission, but going through the experience of her diagnosis and her treatment last year certainly wasn’t easy for those who are closest to her, according to her brother. In a new interview with The Times, James Middleton opened up about how “challenging” learning of Kate’s diagnosis was for their family, and how he showed up for his sister during that time.
James called it a ‘challenging time.’
As he told the UK paper, it was understandably a hard time for the Middletons and the royals to find out that Kate would need to undergo cancer treatment after she was diagnosed.
“What I think is that, as a family, you learn to see and process and understand things,” James said. “For her and her family, it was a challenging time, and I know for us and our bigger family, it was a challenging time, but I think it’s about communication and it’s about offering support and help where you can.”
He emphasized the importance of ‘unconditional’ support.
James said that, above all else, the best way to show love to someone is “just generally being there.”
“Being there for someone is such an important part, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be on your terms, and it shouldn’t be on your terms,” he said, per The Times. “It should be on their terms; unconditional: ‘I’m not doing it for something in return. I’m doing it because I love you.’”
Kate revealed in January she is in remission.
As she paid a visit to Royal Marsden, the hospital where she was treated for cancer, Kate revealed that she was in remission in a post she shared on Instagram.
“It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery,” she wrote. “As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.”
James’ new interview comes just as Kate shared a new video about mental health.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Week on Monday, Kate shared a video opening up about how important nature has been to her during her treatment and recovery.
“Over the past year, nature has been my sanctuary,” she said in the video. “The natural world’s capacity to inspire us, to nurture us and to help us heal and grow is boundless and has been understood for generations.”
Kate added, “Spring is the season of rebirth, of hope and new beginnings. From the dark days of winter, the outside world quietly awakens with new life and there comes a sense of optimism, anticipation and positive, hopeful change.”
