Prince William briefly spoke about how Kate Middleton is doing during his first royal outing after the Princess of Wales announced that she completed chemotherapy treatment.
The Prince of Wales, 42, shared the insight with well-wishers while visiting Llanelli, Wales on Sept. 10. “It’s good news, but there is still a long way to go,” Prince William said during a walkabout, Hello! reported.
Princess Kate was top of mind for many waiting at the gates of Swiss Valley Community Primary School, Prince William’s first stop of the day. As he made his way out and met with members of the crowd gathered to see him, he thanked those who asked about his wife, telling one, “She is better, and thank you.”
Approaching the group, William greeted them with “bore da” (which means “good morning” in Welsh), shook hands, received cards — and even admired a pet dragon, the heraldic animal on Wales’ national flag.
One well-wisher, Jane Stoneman, handed William a letter to pass on to Kate.
“I said it was great to see Kate was better and recovering,” she tells PEOPLE. “I told him I enjoyed the video and asked him to give her the card and all my love.”
William checked out the heartfelt card and “He said, ‘She is better. Thank you very much,’ ” Stoneman says, adding “It’s absolutely fabulous that he took the time to come. They work very hard — we’re lucky to have them. Catherine and the family will do all of us in this country good.”
Of the moving video message released the day prior, “It was a beautiful video — it made me cry,” Stoneman says. “They are human, aren’t they? Catherine has been through such a difficult time, and to see she is so loved by her family is lovely. As she said, it’s all about love and being loved.”
Also in the crowd, Catherine Owens clutched a dragon toy that belongs to her daughter, Emeline. “I told him it’s my daughter’s, and that I’d brought it along for him to see a representation of Wales,” she tells PEOPLE. “And that I have to return it before bedtime. He said, ‘Oh, yes. Very important.’ “
Owens adds of the prince’s visit that “We were really pleased to see him here. The school is at the heart of the community, and most of the people here today have children at the school.”
The visit came the day after Princess Kate shared that she completed chemotherapy treatment for cancer in an unprecedented home video with Prince William and their children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. The Princess of Wales, 42, has been outside of the public eye for almost the entirety of 2024 after sharing in March that she began chemotherapy after post-operative tests following abdominal surgery in January detected the disease.
“As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment,” Princess Kate said in audio laid over the video, which was shot by Will Warr in Norfolk in August.
“The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown,” she continued.
“The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything,” Princess Kate said, as footage rolled over a montage of moments of the Princess of Wales and her family, mostly shot outdoors.
“This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved,” she said.
“Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” Kate explained — connecting to what her husband said in Wales on Sept. 10.
PEOPLE understands that Princess Kate is looking forward to undertaking a handful of public engagements in the coming months, though, as she mentioned in her video message, her focus is on being cancer-free, and her journey to a full recovery is long.
The royal will resume to a light program of external engagements for the remainder of the year, underscoring the need to focus on making a full recovery.
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