Princess Kate scales Britain’s highest peaks to raise money for cancer charity

LONDON: Kate, the Princess of Wales, said on Sunday that she had scaled the three highest peaks in Britain in 24 hours to raise money for a cancer charity, citing it as a personal achievement following her own battle with the disease.

Kate, 44, the wife of heir to the throne Prince William, is in remission after undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer and, while she has returned to royal duties, she has spoken of the toll the illness has taken on her and her family.

In a post on her official social media channels, Kate said this weekend that she had completed the “National Three Peaks Challenge” – climbing Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis, and Snowdon, the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales – in a 24-hour period.

At the end of the event, which she completed solo supported en route by Mountain Rescue, she was greeted by her husband and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, along with her parents and brother.

She said the aim was to raise the importance of holistic care and raise funds for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which supports work at the hospital where she underwent months of treatment.

“Lots of people have asked me why I’m doing this challenge and partly it’s personal. I’m so grateful to be here, to be strong enough to walk these hills,” she said in a video statement. “But more importantly, it’s to give something back and acknowledge really all the incredible work going on up and down this country.”

Kate underwent a course of preventative chemotherapy after major abdominal surgery in early 2024 revealed the presence of an unspecified form of cancer, and has since delivered personal messages about its impact on her and her family.

“I’ve met some incredible people, those people who are living with and beyond cancer, and I know personally how difficult that journey is,” she said.

“I really 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,” she said.