Kate Middleton's Post-Cancer Climb Of Britain's National Three Peaks Has Survivors Cheering

Catherine, Princess of Wales, took on the National Three Peaks Challenge and scaled the highest mountains in England, Scotland, and Wales within 24 hours for two major reasons. In an Instagram Reel shared in June 2026, Kate Middleton explained that one of her motivations was personal and had to do with her cancer journey. "I'm so grateful to be here, to be strong enough to walk these hills," Kate said. 

Likewise, in an Instagram post, the beloved royal, who has been shamed amid her health struggles numerous times, wrote that the challenge was also a means for her to "explore life beyond diagnosis and to give something back." The second reason Kate embarked on the physically demanding challenge was to raise money for the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was treated for cancer. Kate's contributions from the challenge would go towards providing "holistic cancer care" for those dealing with disease and those in remission. 

Unsurprisingly, Kate's heartwarming reasons for taking on the challenge earned her a lot of praise from people who had dealt with cancer. "Your effort is truly inspirational – on what is possible when one plans, prepares and tries to achieve it," one cancer survivor wrote on X, formerly Twitter. One person on Instagram wrote that when they received their diagnosis at the age of 24, they did not have a "role model" like Kate and had to go off of limited information. They ultimately praised the Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales, for all the good they were doing. On X, two other people wrote that Kate's words about how a cancer diagnosis affected relationships with loved ones could not have been truer. 

In video footage shared by the BBC in 2025, Catherine, Princess of Wales, admitted that her post-cancer recovery wasn't a linear journey. Like many others in her shoes, Kate Middleton initially put on a "brave face" and was determined to return to normalcy. However, she found that that was easier said than done because she had to adjust to a life where she didn't have the clinical support that she had grown accustomed to while also coming to terms with the fact that her ability to function at home had changed since her treatment. 

"You have to find your new normal and that takes time... and it's a rollercoaster, it's not one smooth plane, which you expect it to be. But the reality is it's not, you go through hard times," Kate said. Meanwhile, in her 2026 Instagram post, the royal wrote that there was more to cancer than what happens to your body when you go through chemotherapy, writing, "It changes how you think and feel and profoundly affects every aspect of life." While recovering from treatment, Kate found herself strengthening her connection with nature. 

Chatting with Dwayne Fields, Joint President of Scouts and Chief Scout, for a YouTube video in 2025, the royal said that she experienced a "very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection" whenever she had a moment in the great doors. For Kate, nature was one of the few places where she could find balance and peace in her chaotic life. With that in mind, it appears that Kate knows firsthand that there is a link between spending time outdoors and your well-being.