‘I was told my recovery would not be linear. There will be good days and bad’: Kate opens up about time in hospital as she appears in Prince William’s Country Life issue

The Princess of Wales has opened up about her recovery from cancer during a rare interview in the Prince of Wales’s guest-edited issue of Country Life.

In a new portrait taken by Josh Shinner, Kate, 44, was seen standing next to a tree in the autumnal sunshine – a powerful visual of her life-long passion for the natural world.

Dressed in a Ralph Lauren Schmitt Herringbone Tweed Jacket, the royal sat down with acclaimed author Robert Macfarlane to discuss the pivotal role that nature played during her cancer recovery following her diagnosis in 2024.

Offering a remarkably candid insight, the Princess of Wales said: ‘I was told in hospital that my recovery would not be linear. There will be good days and bad days, that it will take time. This is the same in Nature.’

When asked by Mr Macfarlane where she finds her main source of ‘hope’ Kate revealed that it is the ‘lessons Nature teaches’ that remind her ‘we are not alone and that we’re interconnected with something bigger than ourselves’.

Describing nature as a ‘quiet teacher’ amid challenging periods of her life, the royal added: ‘Having a sense of connection, trusted people around you and places where you feel at peace can be incredibly important during difficult times.’

Kate also offered a rare insight into her parenting approach with Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte, saying she reminded herself to give her own children ‘freedom to explore, rather than constantly telling them what to see or what to think’.

In the new portrait, the Princess of Wales paired her gorgeous jacket with a Ribbed Crew Neck Sweater from Savile Row, a Brora Fashion Blouse and Emilia Wickstead Skirt – alongside her signature sentimental Cartier Trinity hoop earrings.

Kate also discussed her fears about young people developing high levels of anxiety amid a world engulfed by technology that is ever-changing. 

The future Queen noted that nature, in contrast, is a way children can develop their creative and imaginative skills outside of the world of screens. 

She talked about how her love of nature started in childhood when she would spend time playing in streams, blackberry picking or ‘simply time alone in my own world, enjoying the simplicity of ordinary things’ and how she felt a sense of freedom ‘that is hard to find elsewhere’.

The royal also praised the remarkable work charity Mind Over Mountains does in providing professional mental fitness support by bringing individuals together in nature. 

In January, the Princess of Wales joined a wellbeing and mindfulness walk in the Peak District with the charity to learn about the role that being outdoors plays in supporting mental wellbeing. 

The princess has long championed the importance, especially for children, of spending time outdoors as part of her work on early childhood development.

She described nature as offering something unique.

The royal said: ‘It doesn’t ask anything of us. It doesn’t judge us or expect us to perform.

‘It simply allows us to be. It really has been my sanctuary and a place I’ve instinctively wanted to go.’

In January 2024, the Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital for major abdominal surgery. Two months later, she candidly revealed in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventive treatment.

In September the same year the royal also revealed the news that she had completed treatment but warned that her recovery and return to royal duties would be slow but steady. 

The following January, Kate announced she was in remission during a surprise visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital – the same place she had received her own treatment. 

She has since spoken publicly about the challenges she faced during her own personal cancer journey, and in 2025 became Joint Patron of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, alongside The Prince of Wales.

In June, she completed the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for the Royal Marsden, which sees participants attempt to scale Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Yr Wyddfa in Wales within 24 hours.

In a personally penned message attached to a picture of Kate at the summit of Ben Nevis, the Princess said: ‘Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in this country hear the words no one wants to hear. 

‘Cancer doesn’t just affect the body. It changes how you think and feel and profoundly affects every aspect of life. I know this personally, and that the journey through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone.’ 

The Princess of Wales’s rare interview featured within a special commemorative edition of Country Life magazine, guest edited by the Prince of Wales, released on November 11. 

And the Prince of Wales made his guest-editorship a family affair, even including a stunning drawing by his eldest son, Prince George.

It looks like the 13-year-old future king has inherited his mother’s artistic flair, producing a stunning sketch of a kingfisher.

The Daily Mail understands that George, now a pupil at Eton, is hugely keen on drawing and completed the picture at home in the spring of this year.

William loved it so much he decided to include it in his special edition.

During the magazine, William also mentions his other children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and discusses family walks with their dogs Orla and Otto, revealing how all three of his children love to get outdoors and explore. 

He says they inspire his work on the future of the countryside and his commitment to creating a better place for successive generations.

In the magazine’s leader column, he writes: ‘The places you love best are not the ones you preserve unchanged, but the ones you keep quietly improving.

‘One day, George, Charlotte and Louis may ask me what I did to help communities thrive… we didn’t simply imagine a better future, we helped build it, so that someone else could build further still.’

The magazine’s collectors’ issue also features the gardens at Highgrove, the country home in Gloucestershire of his father, King Charles, which have been a life-long labour of love.

He cheekily reveals that as a young man living there he would have to remember not to throw open the curtains before getting dressed as the garden was often filled with visitors.

The future king spent the past six months working with Country Life editor Mark Hedges and managing editor Paula Minchin to offer an insight into facets of his personal life, combined with the passions and beliefs that drive him.

He also talks about his awareness and support for the people who live and work in the countryside through the Duchy of Cornwall and Sandringham, and those battling mental health issues.

And no public endeavour would be complete without a mention of his beloved Aston Villa football team which he describes as his ‘second family. The edition even features an interview with its manager, Unai Emery, on leadership.

Mark Hedges, Editor-in-Chief, Country Life, said: ‘The Prince of Wales has been a formidable, hands-on guest editor whose commitment to the future of the countryside, willingness to shine a light on darker issues and determination to highlight environmental emergencies, is reflected in every feature personally chosen by him.

‘We also see The Prince as family man, football fan and with a weakness for a chocolate cake first served to him by his grandmother.

‘His skills as a guest editor have been admirable and the result is a glorious edition, which I am sure will be a sell-out.’

Royal aides say he has been ‘really close’ to the project and has been instrumental in every editorial decision.

His father, aunt, Princess Anne and step-mother, Queen Camilla, have also all edited the magazine.