Princess Kate Visits Manchester Christie Hospital
The Princess of Wales met cancer patients and staff during a visit to the Christie Hospital in Withington, Manchester, on Thursday, where she spoke about the emotional and practical challenges of treatment and recovery. The engagement included time on the chemotherapy ward and a tour of the hospital’s facilities, which provide both clinical care and holistic therapies.
During the visit, the Princess embraced 30-year-old Ms Claire Lorente, who was preparing to ring the bell marking the end of her breast cancer treatment, and told her “Well done you, what a journey,” Manchester Evening News reported.
The Princess also greeted Ms Lorente’s partner and their baby son, and later met other patients receiving chemotherapy, including one who had been taught to self-administer acupuncture to help manage side effects. As she toured the music room, art room and garden, she joked about family music choices after Oasis’ Don’t Look Back In Anger played, saying it was “like this on the school run” with different song requests from Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
In the art room, she spoke about her own experience of treatment, telling patients that she did not have the ability “to read, or focus, or anything,” and that colouring helped her process change; she has previously discussed the impact in her comments on how cancer treatment affected daily life.
The Princess said spaces designed for teenagers and young adults helped reduce isolation and supported mental wellbeing, adding that holistic therapies “really helped” her and gave patients a sense of agency alongside their clinical care. The visit underlined her continued focus on recovery and quality of life for patients living through and beyond cancer treatment.
