The Royal Marsden in London, where the Princess of Wales underwent treatment, is one of the world’s leading cancer hospitals.
Rated outstanding by the regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC), it has an international reputation for research and thrives on pioneering the use of cutting-edge cancer treatments.
The Prince of Wales became president of the Royal Marsden in 2007 following in the footsteps of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
He has witnessed several operations at the hospital. In 2018, he donned surgical scrubs to watch the latest technology being used to deliver cancer care.
The royals have a long-standing connection to the hospital, starting in 1910 when the Marsden was granted a Royal Charter of Incorporation by King George V.
Queen Elizabeth II became patron in June 1952, followed by Diana, who became president in 1989.
Kate and William have now become joint patrons of the Marsden, whose full title is the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
William most recently visited the trust’s Sutton site in June 2023 to open the Oak Cancer Centre.
The Marsden offers patients a range of treatments, including chemotherapy, drug therapies, radiotherapy and surgery, and may have played a role in delivering Kate’s chemotherapy.
It opened in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and education.
Other people treated at the Royal Marsden include Dame Deborah James, who died of bowel cancer in 2022.
A £1 million donation from the Bowelbabe Fund she set up has meant the Marsden has been able to install a state-of-the-art interventional radiology machine.
This enables minimally invasive, image-guided cancer treatment for patients and also supports ongoing research.
