Even a Princess Struggles: What Kate Middleton’s Honest Words Teach Us About Recovery, Resilience, and the Emotional Side of Illness

When Princess Kate Middleton recently opened up about her cancer recovery, what stood out to us was how open and honest she was. She didn’t offer a polished or idealized version of healing. She didn’t pretend things were “back to normal.” Instead, she acknowledged something that many people experience after a serious illness or health event: the emotional part of recovery can be incredibly hard.

As covered in ABC News, she said:

"You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism, through treatment. Treatment's done, and it's like, I can crack on, get back to normal again, but actually that phase afterwards is a really difficult time."‍

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She added:‍

"You're not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you're not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to. Someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable."

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This kind of honesty is rare, but incredibly validating. And it reflects what we hear every day in our practice.

Therapy Helps You Adjust to New Realities

Receiving a medical diagnosis, whether it's for a chronic illness, a sudden health event, cancer or another condition, can make you feel like the ground has shifted beneath your feet. Beyond the physical symptoms and treatment plans, there's a significant emotional and psychological adjustment that needs to happen. Therapy provides a crucial space to process this "new normal."
We help individuals:

• Understand and process the shock and fear that often come with a diagnosis.
• Navigate the uncertainty of "what if" scenarios and future concerns.
• Develop coping strategies for managing physical symptoms, fatigue, pain, or treatment side effects.
• Address changes to body image and identity, helping you redefine yourself beyond your illness.
• Learn effective communication skills to talk with family, friends, and your medical team about your needs and feelings.
• Rebuild a sense of control and agency when faced with circumstances that feel out of your hands.

Therapists work with you to help you find ways to live well with your diagnosis, not just despite it. Therapy offers a space where people can say, “This is still hard,” even if everything looks fine on the outside. It’s a space to build back trust in your body, adjust to new realities, and find emotional, physical, and mental equilibrium.

The In-Between Stage of Recovery: When Life Isn’t Quite “Normal” Yet

‍There is also an ‘in-between’ stage, when the medical urgency has passed, but emotional healing hasn’t caught up, and it can feel confusing and lonely. Some people feel emotionally flat or distant. Others feel anxious or overwhelmed. Often, it’s only after the dust settles that the full emotional impact of what they’ve been through starts to surface. And because these feelings aren’t always visible, friends, family, or even healthcare providers might not realize how much someone is still struggling.

And Care Partners: You Have Needs Too

‍It's also important to acknowledge that when someone faces a significant health challenge, it profoundly impacts their care partners, too. Care partners are often the ones providing tireless support, managing appointments, navigating complex emotions, and putting on their own brave face. Their own grief, anxiety, and exhaustion can go unnoticed because the focus is, understandably, on the person who is ill. But the truth is, care partners’ emotional well-being is just as vital, and finding a space to share those experiences and gain support is crucial. That is why we offer a monthly care partners support group, this one is uniquely targeted for men who find themselves in the care partnership role.

You Don’t Have to Carry This Alone

Princess Kate Middleton’s words remind us that even someone with access to every resource can find recovery deeply challenging. That doesn’t mean something is wrong, it means the emotional side of illness is real, and it deserves attention.

If you’re in that new accept-and-adjust phase, the in-between stage, where your body is mostly “okay,” but your mind and heart still feel shaken, or you are working on acceptance of a challenging outcome you never expected, then you’re not alone. Emotional processing takes time, space, and support. We’re here to help guide you through it.

‍Photo by Mikhail Nilov

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