During her visit to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester yesterday, the Princess of Wales was informed that she had fulfilled a child’s ‘dream come true’.
Kate, 44, engaged with patients at this prominent European cancer center to emphasize the significance of combining holistic care with medical treatment, as noted by Kensington Palace.
For one young patient battling cancer, the visit held special meaning as he had long admired her courage and resilience.
In a touching encounter, Kate met with the boy and his mother. The mother expressed, ‘He’s been following your journey through your treatment and finds you inspirational,’ she shared proudly.
A heartwarming video captured the moment the boy expressed to Kate, ‘It’s a dream come true to see you today,’ to which the Princess warmly replied, ‘You’re so sweet,’ before posing for a photo with him.
Concluding their interaction, the mother of three gave the young patient a comforting hug and encouraged him with the words, ‘Well done, stay strong.’
In another sweet exchange yesterday, Kate also met a young, unsuspecting girl who had visited the hospital for a blood test, only to meet the Princess. ‘Nice to meet you,’ Kate said, before kneeling down for a picture with the young girl.
Kate also shared an emotional embrace with a cancer patient who then rang a bell to mark the end of her treatment in hospital on Thursday afternoon.
One patient told Kate that it’s a ‘dream come true’ to meet her at Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester yesterday – after he followed her cancer journey while he underwent treatment
Kate had a long hug with mother, Claire Lorente, 30, who was in tears as she rang the bell with her partner, Pablo, at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
The mother-of-three was meeting patients when she was introduced to Ms Lorente, who had just finished treatment for breast cancer, and told her: ‘Well done, you, well done you.’
Ms Lorente began crying and appeared to apologise to Kate, but the future queen reassuringly told her: ‘Please don’t worry, what a journey, it’s been a tough one.’
Kate then hugged Pablo and could be heard telling him: ‘Well done, it’s just as hard for family and loved ones… complications… I know how hard… my parents and I were like… so, you go through everything with us as patients.’
The princess then met Ms Lorente’s baby son Enzo and said to him: ‘Isn’t Mummy brave?’ She then turned back to Ms Lorente and told her: ‘This is your day.’
Ms Lorente then became emotional again as she moved towards the bell to ring it, and appeared to hesitate before Kate told her: ‘You can do it, come on.’
The patient then held her partner’s hand, and they rang the bell together, with Kate clapping and looking very emotional as she watched the poignant moment.
The princess was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer early in 2024, for which she had chemotherapy, and revealed she was in remission in January 2025.
The Princess of Wales was a pleasant surprise for one young girl visiting Christie for a blood test
The Princess of Wales hugs patient Claire Lorente at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust on Thursday
Kate began her visit to the trust’s Withington site by meeting staff and patients currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Oak Road treatment centre.
The future queen spoke with patients receiving complementary therapy and heard about how this has been helping their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Kate then visited the art room and met resident artist Patricia Mountford as she was invited to join a session to learn how creative expression can help recovery.
The princess also met gardener Phil Walker to discover how the landscape of the wellbeing garden gives patients and staff an opportunity to pause and reflect.
Finally, she visited the Christie’s Teenage and Young Adult unit to learn about the therapeutic, social and recreational activities designed to support young people.
The Christie is the largest single-site cancer centre in Europe and looks after more than 60,000 patients a year. Serving a population of 3.2 million people in the area, it was also the first UK centre to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre.
The centre founded in 1892 is known for its complementary and holistic therapies, which can help alleviate symptoms common with diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
These can include stress, depression, fear, worry and anxiety-induced nausea. The Christie also hosts drop-in art classes, a wellbeing garden and a chaplaincy service.
Kate returned to foreign travel last month with her first overseas royal visit since facing cancer, heading to Italy for a solo working trip as part of her early years work.
