Kate Middleton gives 1st public speech since cancer diagnosis: See what she said
Kate, the Princess of Wales, marked another milestone in her return to public duties after announcing her cancer diagnosis, delivering her first public speech in over two years.
Kate delivered a speech Tuesday on a topic close to her heart, early childhood.
"My passion and the work of The Centre for Early Childhood stems from one essential truth: that the love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults," Kate said in her remarks, delivered at the Future Workforce Summit in London.
Kate, the wife of Prince William, announced publicly in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
The mother-of-three has not disclosed the type of cancer with which she was diagnosed. She announced in January that her cancer is in remission, writing on social media, "It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery."
After taking time away from public duties amid her cancer diagnosis, Kate has gradually returned to work over the past year, with a focus on her passion of early childhood development and advocating for kids.
On Tuesday, she spoke before a group of CEOs from around the world, appealing to them to make the workplace more family-friendly.
"As business leaders, you will face the daily challenge of finding the balance between profitability and having a positive impact," she said. "But the two are not and should not be incompatible.”
Kate also reminded the business leaders that investing in the early years is good business, saying, "At The Center for Early Childhood, we believe that we must do all we can to create the conditions for love to flourish. That is how we invest in our future."
Kate's speech comes four years after she launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021 to serve as the hub of her work on early childhood development.
The Royal Foundation, which also hosted the summit Tuesday at which Kate spoke, is the charitable arm of William and Kate's work.
Kate's latest remarks show her continued passion for the work of early childhood development, according to ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy.
"She doesn't make very many speeches," Murphy said. "It's not something that historically has come naturally to her, but I think that showed how important this issue is to her, that she made her first speech in two years and that she really wanted to be heard on this subject, because it's something that's so important to her."
