Princess of Wales labels cancer recovery a 'rollercoaster' two weeks after pulling out of Royal Ascot

The Princess of Wales made a poignant visit to a cancer centre in Colchester, east of London, on Wednesday.

During the visit, Kate met with patients and staff at Colchester Hospital and opened up about the recovery phase after cancer treatment ends, labelling it a "rollercoaster".

It marked the 43-year-old's first public engagement since pulling out of a planned Royal Ascot appearance two weeks ago at the last minute to prioritise her health.

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The mum-of-three was diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer in February last year and underwent preventative chemotherapy treatment.

Since announcing she was in remission during a January visit to The Royal Marsden, where she underwent the treatment, the royal's slowly been returning to a normal schedule.

But Kate has been very vocal about taking things at her own pace and prioritising her health moving forward.

"You have to find your new normal and that takes time … and it's a rollercoaster it's not one smooth plain, which you expect it to be.

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"But the reality is it's not, you go through hard times."

Kate called the experience she went through "life changing for anyone", explaining it impacts not only "the patient but also for the families as well" and it can take time for families to readjust after treatment's completed.

"You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment, treatments done, then it's like 'I can crack on, get back to normal' but actually the phase afterwards is really, is really you know difficult," Kate said.

"You're not necessarily under the clinical team any longer but you're not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to.

"And actually someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment I think is really valuable."

Kate told the group that having places like the hospital's new wellbeing garden and the support network is also very valuable to recovery.

The royal's visit to the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital coincides with the donation of 50 "Catherine's Rose" plants for the garden.

The RHS named the new rose after the royal with proceeds of their sale being donated to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, where Kate underwent her treatment last year.

Kate met with award-winning garden designer Adam Frost before showing off her gardening skills by planting one of the new roses herself, together with a staff member.

Kate wore a neutral pinstripe suit with a wide-striped complementary shirt underneath for the visit, with her hair styled in her signature bouncy blow dry, which was dampened a bit by some rain.

The royal was spotted wearing her iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring which she had stopped wearing for some time during her treatment.

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Following the mother-of-three's cancer battle, the Princess of Wales shared a post on social media highlighting the role nature played in her healing.

"Over the past year, nature has been my sanctuary," Kate said in a voiceover on the first edition of her quarterly video series, Mother Nature.

"The natural world's capacity to inspire us, to nurture us and help us heal and grow is boundless and has been understood for generations."

The 43-year-old also spoke about how the outdoors helped her while meeting with patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital in her first royal engagement of the year.

"I really felt like I needed to get the sun," Kate told patient Katherine Field.

"A bit like a tree - you need loads of water and loads of sunlight."

The royal's visit to Colchester Hospital was billed as one "to celebrate the incredible healing power of nature and raise awareness of the important role that spending time in nature plays in bringing us joy and supporting our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing".

The Prince and Princess of Wales are joint patrons of NHS Charities Together, which created the garden in partnership with the RHS, Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity and forms part of the research the RHS is doing on the transformative impact of wellbeing gardens on patients and staff.

Kate dropped out of the annual horse racing event at the last minute after attending a number of other royal events, including Trooping the Colour and Garter Day, held in the lead-up.

She resumed in-person duties last week in a meeting with Melinda French Gates at Windsor Castle, alongside Prince William.

It's set to be a busy few weeks for the Princess of Wales, who has slowly been returning to her previous workload after her cancer treatment ended last year and she went into remission.

The royal patron of Wimbledon is expected to be courtside a few times during the tournament and could make an appearance before the end of the week.

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