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Princess Kate welcomed a group of fellow Three Peaks Challenge participants to Windsor Castle for a special afternoon tea, bringing together some of the people she encountered during her own endurance challenge.
Among the guests were a nine-year-old amputee and a runner who set a record as the fastest person to complete the challenge while running the distance between each of the three mountains.
Catherine completed the demanding Three Peaks Challenge in June, climbing the highest mountains in Wales, Scotland and England in less than 24 hours. She later invited several people she had met along the way to Windsor for an intimate gathering over tea and cake.
Kensington Palace shared a 30-second video capturing moments from the afternoon, accompanied by a personal message from the Princess. Reflecting on the experience, Catherine described the challenge as a “powerful reminder that recovery is rarely a journey we make alone”.
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The footage showed Catherine speaking with nine guests inside one of the state rooms at the Berkshire royal residence. For the occasion, she wore a belted maroon dress and styled her long hair in loose waves.
Also invited was 11-year-old Ted Haslam, whom Catherine encountered several times while completing the challenge. Ted took on the Three Peaks with the support of his father, Pete, and a group of 15 relatives and friends, who pushed and carried him in his wheelchair throughout the challenge while raising funds for children’s charity Molly Ollys.
Shaun McCormick was another familiar face among Catherine’s guests, having met the Princess at the start of her Three Peaks Challenge earlier in the summer. Shaun had joined a fundraising group supporting his friend’s nephew following the child’s cancer diagnosis.
In the personal message released alongside the video, Catherine reflected on the individual stories that had motivated those who took on the demanding challenge.
She wrote: “It was a pleasure to welcome other Three Peaks Challenge participants and their families to Windsor Castle. Behind every summit was a personal story of resilience, determination and hope.
“Listening to their experiences of the challenge and their reasons for taking it on was a powerful reminder that recovery is rarely a journey we make alone, and of the importance of the people who walk alongside us along the way. C.”
Nine-year-old Albie-Junior was also among those invited to the celebratory gathering. Born without a fibula, he had his foot amputated when he was a toddler. In August, he completed the Three Peaks Challenge in approximately 22 hours, using the achievement to raise funds for his local football club.
Another guest, Trish Patterson, undertook an even more demanding version of the challenge just days after Catherine completed hers. Rather than travelling between the three mountains, Trish ran from one peak to the next as well as completing the climbs.
Her remarkable effort saw her beat the previous record by nine hours. She used the challenge to raise funds for Mind Over Mountains, an organisation Catherine had met earlier in the year, in memory of a close friend.
Catherine undertook the Three Peaks Challenge over the summer as part of her desire to “explore life beyond” her cancer diagnosis, while also raising funds for the hospital where she received treatment.
The Princess of Wales announced in early 2024 that she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. In January 2026, she revealed that she was in remission.
Earlier this month, Catherine returned to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and explained that taking on the Three Peaks Challenge had been a personal way of expressing her gratitude for the treatment and support she received.
During her visit to the London hospital, she learned more about how the money raised through her challenge would contribute towards the development of a new specialist Centre for Holistic Wellbeing and Recovery.
Catherine said: “This was my small way of being able to give back and say thank you.”
Reflecting on her own experience at the hospital, the Princess added: “I had incredible care here and support from a huge team, and I’m really grateful on a personal level.”
