This week, the Princess of Wales completed the National Three Peaks Challenge and shared a deeply personal statement about her experience with cancer. She wrote that cancer doesn't just affect the body: it changes how you think and feel, and profoundly affects every aspect of life. She spoke of her belief that the path through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone, and called for holistic therapies to complement clinical care — supporting patients' wellbeing, resilience, and quality of life during an exceptionally difficult time.
The Princess called for a reshaping of what the future of holistic cancer care looks like, so that more people across the UK can access the kind of personalised support that makes a meaningful difference during and after medical treatment.
We couldn't agree more. We've been saying exactly this since 1998.
When the Fountain Centre opened its doors at the Royal Surrey Cancer Centre in Guildford, the idea that a cancer centre should offer psychological support, complementary therapies, wellbeing activities, and a space simply to be was far from mainstream. The dominant model of cancer care was — understandably — focused on clinical treatment: surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy. The rest was largely left to patients and their families to navigate alone.
The Fountain Centre was founded on a different belief: that people living with cancer are whole human beings, not just bodies with tumours. That fear, grief, exhaustion, relationship strain, and loss of identity are not side effects to be managed quietly, but central parts of the experience with cancer that deserve care in their own right. That healing — as the Princess so eloquently put it this week — is not just about fixing what is wrong.
For almost 28 years, we have offered confidential support to anyone affected by cancer at the Royal Surrey. That means one-to-one psychological support, complementary therapies, one-to-one and group exercise, wellbeing sessions, and a welcoming space where people can find calm in the midst of their storm. It means caring for carers and families, not just the person with the diagnosis. It means treating the whole person — physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually — exactly as the Princess described.
The Princess has spoken of wanting to shine a light on psychological and spiritual care, physical activity, nutrition, complementary therapies, and time spent in nature — support that helps patients tolerate gruelling treatment and regain some sense of control. Look at our programme and you will find every single one of these.
We are, of course, proud that a conversation the Fountain Centre has been having for nearly three decades is now being championed at the highest level. But we are also aware that for many cancer patients and families across the UK, this kind of support remains out of reach — something available only to those lucky enough to live near a centre like ours, or wealthy enough to access it privately.
The Princess has spoken of wanting to create a blueprint for change, so that holistic supportive care becomes a standard part of cancer treatment nationally. We wholeheartedly support that ambition. It is the ambition this charity was built on.
If you or someone you love is living with cancer and being treated at the Royal Surrey, we are here. We have always been here. And we will keep making the case — alongside everyone who knows, as the Princess now does, that the person matters as much as the prognosis.
