In March 2024, Kate Middleton announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Understandably, the diagnosis has reportedly led her to rethink her priorities, and now, that means that the Princess of Wales seems to be putting herself first and giving herself more grace, according to a new report from The Sun.
Kate used to put a lot of pressure on herself.
Given all of the rules and etiquette that come with being a British royal, it might not be all that surprising that Kate Middleton holds herself to high standards. But according to The Sun, Kate has eased up on her perfectionist tendencies. Royal biographer Robert Jobson told the publication, “Catherine has always put a huge amount of pressure on herself, but she is now more forgiving, not forcing herself to be the best all the time.”
Robert explained that Kate now feels like she has the ability to prioritize herself. “A public engagement, a tour or a project has to be OK for her — to suit her — rather than she has to do something for appearance’s sake or just because she’s royal,” the royal biographer added. “It’s more important for her to prioritize herself, whether that may be going to the gym or playing tennis.”
Robert added that Kate’s cancer diagnosis isn’t the only reason for this change — it’s also “partly because she’s more comfortable in her role” now.
Kate was strong for her children’s sake.
In addition to prioritizing herself more, Kate has of course been making time for her family as well. A source identified as a “close friend” of Kate and Prince William told The Sun that “things were really very tough” for their family around the time that Kate publicly announced her diagnosis. According to their friend, Kate leaned on her mother for support and also focused on her children.
“Keeping things as normal as possible for the ‘kiddies,’ as Catherine calls them, was paramount,” the source said.
One royal expert previously predicted that Kate and William would want to spoil their kids more after the challenging year they faced in 2024. “Kate will be wanting to spoil them a bit, because it’s very frightening for children when their parents are that ill, so I think they will be up for a few treats this year,” royal expert Ingrid Seward told Hello! magazine earlier this year.
The diagnosis obviously impacted Prince William as well.
Ingrid also previously spoke to People about how Prince William has been more publicly affectionate with Kate after her cancer diagnosis. “William must feel so fortunate that Kate has come through this that he wants to tell the world about that love. It shows the intimacy of them sharing that journey together,” she said. “They are able to express themselves in a way they would never have done before.”
Ingrid also told the publication that William and Kate are “in a different phase of their life,” which means they’re more comfortable with PDA now.
The Princess of Wales also feels more comfortable opening up about her life.
Per The Sun, it’s not just about PDA — Kate is less private in general now. While she used to not share much about herself with the public, she has recently opened up about how spending time in nature helped her navigate her cancer diagnosis and recovery.
“The princess herself has spoken movingly over the past 13 months of the power that nature has played in her recovery,” a source said. “That is definitely a message of both her private life and her public work going forward.”
This year, Kate took an unconventional approach to celebrating Mother’s Day. Instead of posting about her mother or writing about her own experience with motherhood, Kate shared a special message dedicated to Mother Nature.
“Over the past year, nature has been our sanctuary,” she wrote at the time. “This Mother’s Day, let us celebrate Mother Nature and how our bond with the natural world can help not only nurture our inner selves, but remind us too of the role we play within the rich tapestry of life.”
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
