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The Princess of Wales has reflected on her deeply personal journey of healing following her recent cancer battle in a new video shared by Kensington Palace. In the film, she speaks of “fears washing away” and “coming to peace with our tears” in the final chapter of her Mother Nature series, Winter, which she chose to release to mark her 44th birthday today.
The project has been especially meaningful for Catherine, who used the series to explore how nature supported her recovery after being diagnosed with cancer at the start of 2024 and undergoing six months of chemotherapy.
Providing the voiceover for the two-minute film, the Princess says: “Even in the coldest, darkest season, winter has a way of bringing us stillness, patience and quiet consideration.”
She continues in the film: “Where the stream slows just enough for us to see our own reflection. To discover the deepest parts of ourselves, alongside the whispers in the pulse of every living thing.”
She adds: “I find myself reflecting on how deeply grateful I am. For the rivers within us flow with ease — fears washed away, cleansing and purifying. Coming to peace with our tears and discovering what it truly means to be alive.”
The Princess goes on to say: “To be at one with nature — a quiet teacher and a gentle guide. Holding memory. Helping us to heal.”
In the video, Catherine is seen taking an early morning walk in Berkshire, where she lives with her husband and their three children. The film also features sweeping landscapes from Cumbria, Gloucestershire, London, East Sussex, and the Cotswolds.
An aide described the release as “the culmination of a deeply personal creative project for the Princess, highlighting humanity’s long-standing connection with nature, and nature’s unique ability to inspire, heal, and help us grow in mind, body, and spirit.”
As with the other films in the four-part series, the latest instalment is rooted in the importance of reconnecting with the natural world — a theme Catherine has also explored recently in her essay with Professor Waldinger, where she warned that excessive screen time can have a damaging effect on family life.
She believes that in the face of the challenges posed by our increasingly digital world, the idea of interconnectedness — our relationship with ourselves, with one another, and with nature — has become more important than ever.
Catherine also shared a personal caption alongside the video, writing: “The Mother Nature series has been a deeply personal, creative reflection on how nature has helped me heal. But it is also a story about the power of nature and creativity in collective healing.”
She concluded: “There is so much we can learn from Mother Nature as we look to build a happier, healthier world. C.”
The Princess first introduced her Mother Nature series with Spring at the beginning of last year’s Mental Health Awareness Week. While this latest film brings the series to a close, Catherine is expected to continue placing nature at the centre of her work in the future.
Looking ahead, it’s understood that the Princess is “excited to explore” how the power of nature and creativity can be used even more to foster human connection, healing, and wellbeing — for individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole.
Her birthday also marks a significant personal milestone, coming a year after she announced she was in remission following her cancer diagnosis in early 2024.
Catherine underwent preventative chemotherapy for six months and stepped back from public duties while focusing on her recovery.
Last January, she returned to the London hospital where she received treatment and revealed that she was officially in remission.
