Princess Kate Reveals How Her Lifestyle Has Changed Since Cancer Diagnosis – Video

During a recent public engagement, the royal spent an afternoon pulling pints and racing her husband to pour the perfect glass. But it was a remark about her cancer diagnosis that nobody saw coming — and the pictures at the end of this article capture the whole day.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, opened up about a significant change to her lifestyle following her cancer diagnosis, quietly confirming during a public outing on Thursday, 12 March 2026, that she has largely stopped consuming alcohol.

Captured in images waiting for you at the end of the article, the admission came during a visit with William, Prince of Wales, to London's Bermondsey Beer Mile — and though it was made in passing, it carried real weight.

Princess Kate was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer after abdominal surgery in spring 2024. By January 2025, she had shared that she was in remission, and has since resumed royal engagements, offering glimpses into where things stand for her now.

One of those glimpses came at Fabal Beerhall, where brewery owner Hannah Rhodes invited the Princess to try the drinks on offer after she had pulled a pint. But when asked whether she was "much of a beer drinker," Princess Kate's answer was measured and matter-of-fact.

"No. Actually, since my diagnosis, you know, drinking alcohol, it's not really something..." she began before reportedly adding that she hasn't "had much alcohol."

"But it's like, you know... it's something I have to be a lot more conscious of now," the Princess of Wales continued. According to reports, the brewery owner offered a quiet "Fair enough" in response.

However, Princess Kate then turned to Prince William beside her, patted his knee, and quipped with a smile, "But you like your cider, don't you?"

The moment made its way online, and reactions were mixed. "So much respect," one person wrote simply. Not everyone, however, was comfortable with how the exchange reached the public in the first place.

"Someone had the great privilege of having an informal chat with the Princess of Wales, and decided to abuse that by secretly recording the conversation to put it on Instagram for likes," another commenter noted.

Some viewers turned their attention to the princess's appearance. "Looks poorly overtired," one person shared. Others were more pointed, writing, "No alcohol but botox instead. She so [sic] beautiful and doesn't need it."

A similar sentiment followed, as another netizen added, "So no alcohol but fillers and Botox," while another typed, "Look at her botox 😂." One comment took a rather different angle altogether, reading, "Poor William to pull up with that [sic]!"

Away from the online chatter, the day itself had been anything but low-key. That afternoon, the royal couple had descended on the Southwark Brewing Company, a local craft brewery, where things got decidedly hands-on.

Both Prince William and Princess Kate donned black gloves and took turns climbing a ladder to stir the brewing mixture in the kettle, producing what the Prince of Wales described as a rather pungent experience.

"It smells like horse feed as you're doing it. There's a real mixture of smells," the Prince announced whilst giving the mixture a stir. Guide Peter Jackson, who led the couple through the process, was ready with his response, joking, "Yes. It's good that it changes by the time it gets to your glass."

The royal couple were also reported to have brought out their competitive sides during a pint-pulling contest with Peter as their judge. He appeared more than satisfied with both efforts, telling the Prince and Princess of Wales, "Do you know what? You can come back on Saturday for a shift."

The afternoon did not end at the brewery as the Prince and Princess of Wales also took to the River Thames in a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat, joining crew members and RNLI Lifeguards.

Their stop aimed at drawing attention to the life-saving work carried out by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's staff and volunteers. The couple also met with those who will be supporting next month's annual University Boat Race on the Thames.

But the visit carried a quiet personal significance, too, as their very first public engagement together took place at an RNLI station in Anglesey, where they launched a lifeboat on Trearddur Bay just two months before their wedding in April 2011.

With the pair set to mark their 15th wedding anniversary this coming April, it was a rather fitting place to spend an afternoon together.

The Princess of Wales sits quietly at a table lined with Fabal beer bottles at Fabal Beerhall during the Bermondsey Beer Mile visit on 12 March 2026, in a screen grab from a video posted to Instagram on 16 March 2026 — just moments before she made her candid admission to brewery owner Hannah Rhodes that she has largely stepped back from alcohol since her cancer diagnosis. | Source: Instagram/theroyalobservercom

Hands animated, the Princess of Wales is caught mid-sentence at Fabal Beerhall on 12 March 2026, in a screen grab from the same video circulated widely online — the caption beneath her reading "I have to think about," a fragment of the fuller remark in which she told brewery owner Hannah Rhodes that alcohol is now "something I have to be a lot more conscious of." | Source: Instagram/theroyalobservercom

The Princess of Wales glances back over her shoulder with a composed, searching expression as she and Prince William make their way through the Southwark Brewing Company during their visit to London's Bermondsey Beer Mile on 12 March 2026. It was during this very outing that the 44-year-old quietly revealed she has largely given up alcohol since her cancer diagnosis.

With Prince William looking on behind her, the Princess of Wales leans in to smell what appears to be a jar of brewing ingredients during the couple's visit to the Southwark Brewing Company on 12 March 2026. The moment captures a lighter side of what turned out to be a rather eventful afternoon — one that also produced a memorable verdict from the Prince of Wales.

Black gloves on, arm raised, and beaming from ear to ear — the Princess of Wales looks every bit at home perched at the top of the ladder inside the Southwark Brewing Company's brewhouse, giving the contents of a large steel kettle a very enthusiastic stir during the Bermondsey Beer Mile visit on 12 March 2026.

A row of craft beer bottles lines the table in front of them, but it is the Princess of Wales's wide, uninhibited laugh that draws the eye at Fabal Beerhall during the couple's Bermondsey Beer Mile visit on 12 March 2026. Seated beside Prince William on a rust-coloured sofa, she and the woman in red appear mid-conversation with a member of staff — a warm, relaxed scene.

The Princess of Wales listens intently, her gaze fixed on the Prince of Wales mid-conversation, during their visit to the RNLI Tower Station on 12 March 2026 — a navy RNLI cap now replacing the grey blazer's more polished earlier look from the brewery. The couple were there to hear first-hand about the life-saving work carried out by staff and volunteers on the River Thames.

The Princess of Wales sits down for a cup of tea with crew members during a visit to the RNLI Tower Station on 12 March 2026 — a warm, unguarded moment with the people who spend their days saving lives on the River Thames. It is a neat detail from a full and varied afternoon: the same hands that had stirred a brewing kettle were wrapped around a proper mug of tea.

Smiling and side by side, the Prince and Princess of Wales make their way through the crowds outside the RNLI Tower Station on 12 March 2026, the Princess still sporting her navy RNLI cap. For the couple, who launched a lifeboat together at an RNLI station in Anglesey just two months before their 2011 wedding, the visit was a return to a place that holds a particular spot in the story of how their public life together began.