The Princess of Wales has revealed she turned to acupuncture during her cancer treatment, utilizing a traditional Chinese medicine practice that she previously used during her pregnancies.

Kate made this disclosure during a visit to Colchester Hospital's cancer wellbeing center on July 2, 2025, marking her first public appearance since missing Royal Ascot. Speaking with therapist Amanda Green in the hospital's wellbeing garden, Kate confirmed she had tried the ancient Chinese practice as part of her cancer recovery journey.

"What seems to be really fantastic is that there is a real personal approach: what helps one person – acupuncture or something – might not help another," she said. "Having gone through it myself, I can see it has such a transformative effect."

Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles into specific body points to promote healing and pain relief. This was not Kate's first experience with acupuncture. She had previously used the practice during her pregnancies with all three of her children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Kate suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum—a pregnancy complication characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and dehydration, per the Cleveland Clinic.

Kate's choice to use acupuncture for both pregnancy complications and cancer treatment mirrors the approach of her father-in-law, King Charles, who has long championed complementary therapies. In 2006, the then-Prince of Wales addressed the World Health Organization, urging medical professionals to incorporate treatments including acupuncture, chiropractic care, and herbal medicines into mainstream healthcare.

The princess's cancer journey began in January 2024 when she underwent planned abdominal surgery at the London Clinic. Post-operative tests revealed cancer was present, leading to her diagnosis in March 2024. She underwent preventative chemotherapy treatment and announced in September 2024 that she had completed her treatment. In January 2025, Kate revealed she was in remission.

During her hospital visit, Kate spoke candidly about the challenges of post-treatment recovery, describing it as "really, really difficult". She explained that while patients may "put on a sort of brave face" during treatment, the phase afterward presents unique challenges as individuals are no longer under clinical care but cannot function normally at home. She noted that cancer is "life-changing" for both patients and their families, acknowledging that the impact often goes unrecognized, particularly for first-time diagnoses.

Tags
Kate Middleton, Cancer Diagnosis, Cancer