The Princess of Wales has shared a rare update on her recovery, speaking during a low-key visit to a London mental health charity as news broke of Meghan Markle’s Australia plans.
Catherine visited Dose of Nature, which describes itself on its website as “a mental health charity providing clinically-led Nature Prescriptions, helping people improve their mental health and wellbeing through the therapeutic power of nature, human connection and community.”
According to the U.K. outlet LBC, during the visit, the princess met Tom, a former participant of the charity who now works as a Nature Guide. She used the conversation to reflect on how nature had also helped her heal during her cancer treatment.
Speaking to Tom, she said, “Our journey has been very, very different, but it’s so wonderful to hear your nature connection and how it’s been so healing for you, and I felt the same.
“The fact that you’re able to provide that to so many other people in this community; that sense of purpose, and meaning, and belonging, through that experience, I think is something that has got the longevity and the sustainability.
“Feeling like, almost without knowing what’s to come, without having the control in your life of knowing what the future might hold, the fact that you feel that you can cope with things, because you feel that interconnection, I think that makes it holistic in a very true essence.”
Her remarks offered a personal glimpse into her own experience, drawing a link between Tom’s story and her own path through illness. She appeared to stress the value of purpose and community, suggesting that helping others can be as healing as receiving help.
The visit was kept relatively quiet, with no major announcement beforehand, and it highlighted Catherine’s continued focus on mental health and the therapeutic benefits of the natural world, causes she has championed for years.
The timing of her update drew attention, as it came amid reports about Meghan Markle’s plans. The Duchess of Sussex is reportedly set to leave the UK in 2027 for Junior MasterChef Australia.