It has been nearly one year to the day since Kate Middleton announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer, and she’s exceeding expectations as she continues her royal return.

Following major abdominal surgery in January 2024, the Princess of Wales announced last March 22 that she had been diagnosed with cancer, detected after the surgery. Kate was largely away from public life for most of 2024 save for a handful of appearances, and announced on September 9 that her chemotherapy treatment had ended before revealing on January 14 of this year that she was in remission. (Shockingly, her father-in-law King Charles was also diagnosed with cancer following a January procedure; his treatment continues. Neither Kate nor Charles’ types or stages of cancer have ever been publicly disclosed.)

Now into 2025, Kate is more and more returning to royal duty, and royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People that “She has been very good at managing expectations, and it’s wise for her to downplay it a bit because when she does more than people anticipated, it has a greater impact.”

“It’s evident that she is feeling closer to 100 percent than one would have thought at this stage,” Bedell Smith added.

Kate has undertaken several royal engagements already in 2025, both solo and with husband Prince William. The couple visited Wales last month ahead of St. David’s Day, and over the weekend attended a Six Nations rugby match, where the pair—married for nearly 14 years—cheered for opposing teams. On Monday, Kate stepped out without William to attend the Irish Guards’ St. Patrick’s Day parade as the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief.

“She’s making her outings more meaningful in a way that had never been done before,” royal historian Amanda Foreman told People. “And she’s ahead of the curve—creating the meaningful moment rather than the Instagrammable moment.”

“She is the MVP of the royal family, and no one knew when she was going to come back,” Foreman added. 

Though Kate is in remission, one can’t go through a health scare like the Princess of Wales did in 2024 and not be changed. One year on from telling the world about her diagnosis—timed so that it would be in the best interest of kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—royal biographer Ingrid Seward said that “It takes time to feel comfortable and do things your way without always worrying.”

Bethan Holt, who is fashion director at The Telegraph, told People of the Princess of Wales, “She has an inner steel about what she wants and a drive that will be reflected in what she does and what she wears,” and Foreman added, “She is staying on message and is projecting this very mature image, a restrained elegance.”