Kate, Princess of Wales, has completed the National Three Peaks Challenge, climbing the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours, to raise money for the cancer charity linked to the hospital where she underwent treatment.
The UK royal, 44, who is in remission after undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer, said she undertook the challenge both to support others living with the disease and to “explore life beyond diagnosis”.
In a message shared on her official social media accounts on Sunday, Princess Kate said she had climbed Scafell Pike in England, Ben Nevis in Scotland and Snowdon in Wales over the weekend as part of the fundraising effort for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which supports the London hospital where she received treatment.
“I have taken on the National Three Peaks Challenge not simply as a physical endeavour, but as a chance to explore life beyond diagnosis and to give something back,” she wrote.
“The Royal Marsden is a place that holds great meaning for me, and whose care and expertise are life-changing for so many people.”
In the accompanying photograph, the princess is pictured smiling at the summit dressed in a black, hooded waterproof jacket layered over a dark baseball cap, carrying a hiking backpack and trekking poles, as mist and low cloud surround the mountaintop.
The princess said she wanted to highlight the importance of holistic care alongside medical treatment for cancer patients.
“Cancer affects every part of a person's life, not just their physical health,” she said. “People living with cancer face complex physical, psychological, emotional and social challenges that can directly influence how well they heal, recover and live beyond a diagnosis.”
She added: “Together, we can stand alongside everyone navigating life with cancer, ensuring no one faces this disease feeling unseen or unsupported.”
According to Kensington Palace, Princess Kate undertook the trek with support from mountain rescue teams before being greeted at the finish by Prince William; their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis; her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her brother James.
What is the Three Peaks Challenge?
Considered one of Britain's best-known endurance events, the challenge requires participants to scale the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours.
The feat involves about 37km of hiking, an ascent of more than 10,000 feet and about 740km of driving between the mountains, with most participants tackling much of the journey overnight.
A personal journey
In a separate video released before the challenge, Princess Kate described the trek as a personal journey.
“Lots of people have asked me why I'm doing this challenge, and partly it's personal,” she said. “I'm so grateful to be here, to be strong enough to walk these hills.
“But, more importantly, it's to give something back and acknowledge all the incredible work going on up and down this country.
“I've met some incredible people – those people who are living with and beyond cancer – and I know personally how difficult that journey is. I wanted to use this opportunity as my way of contributing to all the wonderful work that's going on, and in particular to support the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity – an organisation very dear to me, but who do extraordinary work supporting those living with and beyond the disease.”
The princess announced in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with cancer after major abdominal surgery revealed an unspecified form of the disease. She later underwent a course of preventive chemotherapy and confirmed in early 2025 that she was in remission.
Reflecting on her own experience, the princess said cancer changes every aspect of life. “Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in this country hear the words no one wants to hear,” she wrote.
“What follows is a path that tests every part of who we are: physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.
“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.”
