Princess Kate Welcomes Three Peaks Finishers to Windsor Castle: “Recovery Is Rarely a Journey We Make Alone”
The Princess of Wales hosted a private tea party in the state rooms of Windsor Castle, welcoming fellow participants of the National Three Peaks Challenge to share their stories of endurance, grief, and recovery over tea and cake.
The gathering followed Catherine’s own completion of the challenge in June—summiting the highest peaks in Scotland (Ben Nevis), England (Scafell Pike), and Wales (Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon) within 24 hours. The endurance trek was undertaken to mark her personal remission from cancer and to raise funds for the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, supporting the construction of its upcoming Centre for Holistic Wellbeing and Recovery.
A Message of Shared Strength
In a video released by Kensington Palace capturing the afternoon—where Catherine wore a belted maroon long-sleeve dress—the Princess reflected on the emotional bonds formed along the trail:
“It was a pleasure to welcome other Three Peaks Challenge participants and their families to Windsor Castle. Behind every summit was a personal story of resilience, determination and hope.Listening to their experiences of the challenge and their reasons for taking it on was a powerful reminder that recovery is rarely a journey we make alone, and of the importance of the people who walk alongside us along the way. C.”
The Guests and Their Summits
The intimate group of nine guests included individuals who overcame severe physical boundaries or tackled the mountain challenge in tribute to loved ones:
| Guest / Participant | Personal Story & Charity Mission | Connection to Catherine |
| Ted Haslam (11) | Completed the challenge while being pushed and carried in his wheelchair by his father, Pete, and 15 relatives and friends, raising funds for Molly Ollys, a children’s cancer charity. | Met Catherine several times during her June climb across the three mountain routes. |
| Albie-Junior (9) | Born without a fibula; had his foot amputated as a toddler. Completed the Three Peaks in approximately 22 hours to raise funds for his local grassroots football club. | Invited to share his experience navigating rugged mountain ascents on a prosthetic limb. |
| Trish Patterson | Smashed the Three Peaks running record by nine hours—running the entire distance between all three peaks—raising funds for Mind Over Mountains in memory of a late friend. | Undertook her ultra-endurance trek just days after the Princess completed hers. |
| Shaun McCormick | Joined a dedicated fundraising group climbing for his close friend’s young nephew following a cancer diagnosis. | Encountered the Princess at the very base of the trail at the start of her trek. |
Giving Back to The Royal Marsden
The tea party followed Catherine’s visit earlier in September to the Royal Marsden in London, where she met clinical staff and patients to review the allocation of funds generated from her June climb.
Reflecting on her treatment and care after being diagnosed with cancer in early 2024 before entering remission, Catherine noted that taking on the Three Peaks was her “small way of being able to give back and say thank you” to the medical teams who supported her through the darkest stages of her illness.
