Despite undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer, the royal appeared to be in high spirits.
On Thursday, the 42-year-old shared what has been keeping her motivated after her abdominal surgery and ongoing cancer treatment.
In a statement issued in support of the Natural History Museum’s new garden, the Princess of Wales said: “I know the power of nature to support our development and wellbeing, both by bringing us joy and helping to keep us physically, mentally and spiritually healthy.”
Her heartfelt message suggests she’s been enjoying time in nature during her recovery, echoed by a portrait released of the royal enjoying the shade of a tree ahead of her appearance at the Trooping the Colour ceremony last month.
The Princess of Wales is not alone in her reliance on nature to help her through difficult times.
Jackie Scully, who recently celebrated 10 years clear of cancer, agrees with nature’s restorative power. “Nature was everything to me during treatment,” Jackie says: “However I was feeling, I got up and got outside and into nature every single day. After surgery, I was a lot slower walking and it gave me a real appreciation for the beauty around me. I loved watching flowers grow (to the point that I fell so in love with alliums that people call them Jackie flowers now, every time they bloom in spring).
“I even remember my fiancé at the time likening my treatment to that of a rose because in his words: ‘pruning a rose feels harsh, but you cut back a rose so that it can grow back stronger and more beautiful.’ Nature was a real lifeline to me,” Jackie continues. “In the changing of its seasons, I find nature also teaches us so much about life, about things we can’t control and about healing.
“Life goes on around us, even if we feel time has stopped for us,” she says. “Nature is so restorative. Walking within it can change the course of a day. Nature is the perfect companion for life and, in particular, for those needing an escape in difficult times. It grounds us and lifts our spirits.”
