The Princess of Wales has visited a garden in the heart of Chelsea containing 30,000 illuminated white roses which raises “vital funds” for the hospital that treated her for cancer.
Kate was pictured at the Ever After Garden, described as a “tranquil haven where everyone everywhere can remember treasured friends and family they have lost”.
The garden in Duke of York Square has helped raise £400,000 this year for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and has raised £1.6 million since its inception.
People are invited to donate and dedicate a rose in memory of a loved one at the garden, which is open until the end of Tuesday, December 16.
Kate met some of the volunteers who make the project possible. Credit: Toby Shepheard / Kensington Palace
During her visit, the princess herself dedicated a rose and said hello to some of the 400 volunteers whose work makes this project possible.
In a message shared on social media, Kate said: “Thank you to all those who have contributed to the Ever After Garden, which raises vital funds for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
“Every flower, every light, is a memory held together, an illumination of shared love, remembrance, and hope. C.”
The garden is a collaboration between Anya Hindmarch, writer Camilla Morton and the Royal Marsden Hospital’s charity. It was founded in 2019 and features 30,000 illuminated white roses.
Since its inception, the Ever After Garden has helped raise £1.6 million. Credit: Toby Shepheard / Kensington Palace
Kate, who revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer in March last year, revealed in January she was in remission and was “focussed on recovery”.
“I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year, ” she wrote at the time.”My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything.
“We couldn’t have asked for more. The care and advice we have received throughout my time as a patient has been exceptional.
Describing her recovery “rollercoaster” during a visit to Colchester Hospital in Essex over the summer, the princess said: “It’s life-changing for anyone, through first diagnosis or post-treatment and things like that, it is life-changing experience both for the individual patient but also for the families as well.”Actually it sometimes goes unrecognised. You don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time, you don’t appreciate how much impact it is going to have.
The Princess of Wales donated a rose herself. Credit: Toby Shepheard / Kensington Palace
“You have to find your new normal and that takes time. Someone described the sort of healing, recovery journey to me as being like a sort of zig-zag.”
The princess highlighted the importance of holistic cancer care with patients during the trip to the hospital’s Wellbeing Centre.“It’s a rollercoaster, it’s not one smooth plain, which you expect it to be, but the reality is it’s not, you go through hard times and to have a place like this, to have the support network, whether it’s through creativity and singing or gardening, whatever it might be, is so valuable and it’s great that this community has it.“It would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support.”
This is the Talking Royals – our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson
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