Kate, Princess of Wales, hikes up 3 mountains in 24 hours to raise awareness for cancer charity

London – Catherine, the Princess of Wales, has completed the U.K.’s National Three Peaks Challenge, climbing the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Whales in 24 hours, to raise awareness and money for a cancer charity. 

Kate, as the 44-year-old royal is commonly known, was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in March 2024. She announced in early 2025 that she was in remission after undergoing chemotherapy. 

In a social media post on Sunday, she and Prince William’s official home Kensington Palace said the Princess of Wales had undertaken the climb not just for the physical challenge, but also “as a chance to explore life beyond diagnosis and to give something back.”

The National Three Peaks Challenge involves hiking up Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England, and Mount Snowdon in Wales – a total of 23 miles and 10,052 feet of ascent – in 24 hours. Hiking all three also requires 462 miles of driving to get between the peaks.

Kate undertook the challenge in support of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, an organization connected to the hospital where Kate received her treatment.”Through this challenge, I want to raise awareness for the deeper impact of serious illness and the importance of holistic healthcare,” she said in the statement. “The journey through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone.” 

“Through this challenge, I want to raise awareness for the deeper impact of serious illness and the importance of holistic healthcare,” Kate said, “the journey through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone.” 

According to the charity, holistic cancer care integrates physical, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing alongside traditional medical treatments such as chemotherapy. “Healing, whether personal or collective, is not just about fixing what is wrong. It is about finding balance in how we live, between effort and acceptance,” Kate said. 

The princess carried out the challenge alone but received support along the route from Britain’s Mountain Rescue charity. At the end, she was greeted by her husband Prince William, who is heir to the throne, and their children Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte, as well as her parents and brother. 

Writing about her own experience with cancer diagnosis, Kate said in the social media post that hundreds of thousands of people every year hear the words that “no one wants to hear.” “What follows is a path that tests every part of who we are: physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually,” she said, adding that it impacts everything around them, including “the quiet moments we spend alone with our thoughts.” 

Kate paused her public engagements after receiving her cancer diagnosis to focus on the treatment, but she has begun returning to public life since announcing that she was in remission last year.

In May 2026, she carried out her first overseas trip since the diagnosis was revealed, visiting northern Italy.