The Princess of Wales and TV presenter Davina McCall have talked about their experiences of cancer at a reception marking the 125th anniversary of a charity.
The King, who is patron of Cancer Research UK, hosted the event at London’s St James’s Palace on Tuesday evening.
At the reception, the King, Queen and Kate met researchers, clinicians, volunteers and partners involved in the charity’s prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
As they arrived at the event, the royals shook the hands of several representatives and supporters of Cancer Research UK, including McCall.
The broadcaster was diagnosed with breast cancer in October last year but said in April she had now received the “all clear” following surgery.
McCall, who also underwent surgery in 2024 to remove a benign brain tumour, told Kate it was an “absolute honour” to meet her.
The two discussed McCall’s cancer experience, as the TV presenter told the princess it had been “liberating” to talk about it publicly.
She said her meeting with Kate was “really wonderful”.
She said: “It was a really wonderful exchange, and they (the King, Queen and princess) are all wonderful.
“I can’t imagine what it must be like having going through something like cancer, and then sort of having to tell people about it, when possibly it would have been much easier and nicer to not have to share it with the world.
“And I’ve got to say, after my brain tumour, I didn’t massively want to have to do that myself.”
She later added: “But it really helped me get through it by sharing it, and other people relating, or feeling like I could help.”
The princess was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer early in 2024, for which she underwent chemotherapy, and revealed she was in remission 16 months ago in January 2025.
She returned to international travel last month by carrying out her first overseas royal visit since facing cancer, heading to Reggio Emilia, near Bologna in Italy, for a solo working trip as part of her early years work.
The King, who is still receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, previously said he was “so proud” of Kate for her courage in speaking out about her cancer diagnosis.
After meeting several representatives and supporters of the charity, the royals were shown immersive installations showcasing Cancer Research UK’s work and visual representations of how technological innovation is transforming research into the disease.
Dr Samuel Godfrey, science engagement lead at the charity, showed the King, Queen and princess how AI can help in mapping cancer tumours.
He also told them about the Cancer Grand Challenges project, which unites research teams across the world to make changes against cancer’s toughest and most intractable challenges.
Mathematician and broadcaster Hannah Fry, who was also at the reception, said the King’s supportive message for the Stand Up to Cancer campaign last year made a “massive difference”.
Charles recorded a special, personal message for the campaign which aired on Channel 4 in December, in which he shared an update on his cancer experience and urged people to get screened.
After meeting with the King, Fry said: “We spoke about Stand Up to Cancer, which I did last year, which he was also a part of, and so we spoke about what a massive difference that made to have somebody like him who has been through it and survived cancer and had the same experience as so many people across the country.”
She added: “And for him to give both words of comfort, but also words of encouragement, to go and take part in the screening programmes that we were pushing on the night, I think that made a massive difference to all of us.”
Fry later said: “But I think on a more personal level, as someone who’s had cancer, I know he’s had cancer too, I know the princess has also come through her own cancer journey, I think that there is something really profound about a family who are, you know, at the very top of society, who are going through the same ordeals as the rest of us.”
During the Stand Up To Cancer telethon on Channel 4 in December, Fry spoke about her diagnosis with cervical cancer and said it “was caught during a routine screening early enough that it could be treated”, adding that early detection “quite literally saved my life”.
At the reception Kate wore a red belted dress with a white pattern of tiny hearts and a white collar and cuffs.
Her dress was reminiscent of a red and white polka-dot jacket that the Prince of Wales’s mother, then Lady Diana Spencer, wore on a visit to Tetbury, in Gloucestershire, in 1981.
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive Michelle Mitchell, who spoke at the event, said the charity aims to invest more than £1 billion into research over the next three years.
She said: “As we reflect on nearly 125 years of impact, we do so with pride and with determination.
“Progress against cancer has always depended on people coming together with a shared purpose – across disciplines and across generations.
“It has been built through people – researchers, clinicians, supporters and partners – united by a shared determination to save and improve lives for people affected by cancer and their loved ones.
“It is that human, collective effort that has driven progress for more than a century. And it is what gives us confidence in the future.”
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also attended the event, with the duke being a joint president of the charity.
Presenter Adele Roberts, who had treatment for bowel cancer after being diagnosed in 2021, was also at the reception, along with Ronan Keating, who has been a prominent campaigner for cancer research since losing his mother Marie to breast cancer in 1998.
Cancer Research UK’s work on how cancer is understood, prevented, detected and treated stretches back to the founding of its predecessor organisations — the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the Cancer Research Campaign, founded in 1902 and 1923 respectively.
