How Kate Middleton’s Cancer Journey Transformed Her: ‘She Is a Different Person Now’ (Exclusive)

Kate Middleton is steering a new course as she continues her recovery from her cancer.

As the year comes to a close, she marked the occasion by hosting her heartwarming Together at Christmas carol service for the fourth consecutive year. Joined by her husband, Prince William, 42, and their three children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — she appeared as composed as ever. However, her openness with attendees and candid reflections on her “unplanned” year offered a glimpse into her transformation, moving toward a more unguarded, emotionally confident version of herself.

“You can’t go through something like that and come out the other side unchanged,” an insider tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “She is a different person now.”

Kate, 42, is also facing the weighty responsibilities of her future role as Queen. Following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, she and Prince William have found themselves on the cusp of assuming the roles of King and Queen. The focus on their future deepened when William’s father, King Charles, 76, revealed his cancer diagnosis in February, with treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer still ongoing. Adding to the sense of fragility, Queen Camilla, 77, recently battled pneumonia — further highlighting the family’s vulnerabilities.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the royal family, Kate is approaching her path forward with intentionality. Experts and sources close to the family agree that she isn’t rushing back into her previous routine.

“She is focused on herself and her family right now, rightly,” says a source close to the palace.

While the source cautions she has “not fully recovered,” Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson says, “Each time we see her, she’s looking better and better.”

Her recent appearances, including accompanying William to welcome the Amir of Qatar on his state visit to the U.K. on Dec. 3, signal a slow and deliberate reemergence rather than a full return to royal duties. Indeed, the public has seen Kate only a handful of times this year. And she likely won’t return to her previous intensity—she took on 128 engagements in 2023—in the coming year. The palace has cautioned that decisions about 2025 will be taken in line with medical advice.

“She will probably continue to be strategic about how often she appears in public, and people shouldn’t hold it against her if she is doing less next year,” says royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith. “The important thing is she will be pacing herself. She will do what she’s able to do and pursue things she feels passionate about.”

Adds Anderson: “She is a member of the royal family but also a wife, mother and daughter. Don’t expect too much— she’s a person going through something horrific.”

The sense is that when she does make public appearances, she will be alongside William, likely joining engagements he was already set to attend as well as landmark royal occasions.

“They can’t raise people’s expectations with lots of engagements only for her to face a setback, not feel well, and things are canceled,” Anderson adds. “The strategy of an unexpected visit gives her flexibility. She doesn’t have the pressure of feeling she has to turn up.”

Since her Sept. 9 video announcing the end of her chemotherapy for a type of cancer that remains private, Kate has emphasized her cautious approach. “The cancer journey is complex, scary,” she shared, adding that her “path to healing and full recovery is long, and I must continue to take each day as it comes.”

Says the insider: “She won’t be going back to work in the same way for a long time.”

Friends and sources say Kate’s experience has reshaped her focus, both at home and in her approach to royal duties. “She is very much in control of her return to public life. She is doing what works best for her,” Bedell Smith says.

Adds a source close to the royal household: “Life-threatening illnesses bring a reconsideration of priorities. She and William have always made it clear that family is the most important thing.”

Throughout her recovery, Kate’s greatest support has come from her family — particularly her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who live in nearby Bucklebury. They joined her at her carol service, along with her younger siblings Pippa Middleton and James Middleton.

“It was a window into the support network she has around her and how family has gotten her through. It showed the strength of the unit,” says the source close to the royal household.

Kate has been easing into family routines — juggling the kids’ activities and cheering them on at their sports events while preparing for the holiday season. The family of five is set to spend Christmas at Sandringham with King Charles. There they’ll participate in the royal family’s celebrations and — hopefully — join in the traditional walk to and from church.

As Kate continues to recalibrate her life, “there’s a sense of calm before the storm,” an insider says. “They are next in line for the biggest job of their lives, and of course, Kate’s health has taken priority, but it’s also allowed everyone to take a step back and figure out what’s important right now.”