‘Nature has helped me heal’, says Kate on 44th birthday

9 Jan 2026 • 5:44 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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The Princess of Wales said she has spent winter reflecting on how “deeply grateful” she is as she celebrates her 44th birthday.

In the final instalment of Kensington Palace’s quarterly Mother Nature series, Kate said the cold season has a way of bringing “stillness, patience and quiet consideration”.

The princess launched the series in spring as a celebration of the changing seasons across the UK.

In a video posted on social media on her 44th birthday, Kate said: “Even in the coldest, darkest season, winter has a way of bringing us stillness, patience and quiet consideration.

“Where the stream slows just enough for us to see our own reflection.

“To discover the deepest parts of ourselves. Alongside the whispers in the pulse of every living thing.

“I find myself reflecting on how deeply grateful I am.

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“For the rivers within us flow with ease, fears washed away, cleanse and purify. Come to peace with our tears and discover what it means to be alive.

“To be at one with nature; a quiet teacher and a soft voice that guides.

“In memory. Helping us to heal.”

The video was accompanied by a personal post signed with a C, which read: “The Mother Nature series has been a deeply personal, creative reflection on how nature has helped me heal. But it is also a story about the power of nature and creativity in collective healing.

“There is so much we can learn from mother nature, as we look to build a happier, healthier world. C”

The princess’s birthday on Friday falls just days before the first anniversary of her announcement at the start of 2025 that she was in remission from cancer.