CATHERINE will be celebrating her birthday today thinking “oh, thank God that’s all behind me”.
It’s not the biggest of birthdays, but for the Princess of Wales it’s definitely a big moment.
At one stage last year she probably thought she might not see another birthday.
When she and the King were diagnosed with cancer it was such a blow.
Catherine, of course, has a young family and was understandably concerned about that.
But she approached it head on and wasn’t frightened.
She bravely did the video sat on the bench wearing a white jumper and she looked really tired and wiped out.
You just hoped that she was pulling through and then she came out saying “I’m cancer free”.
The thing that cheered me up was on Christmas Day at Sandringham.
I was photographing the Royal Family going to and from church as I’ve done for the last 30 years.
She sparkled the moment she walked down to the church.
The crowds were there just for her and people went crazy. People gave her get well cards and kind messages.
The amount of flowers that were heaped on her, it was like the Chelsea Flower Show.
The rest of the Royal Family were back in the house and she was still greeting this huge crowd that had just come to see her.
I got this amazing, beautiful portrait of her turned around and smiling.
You knew that the cancer was in the past and she was almost ready to start work again.
I felt on Christmas Day, the best present she could give the nation was the fact she was well again.
I saw her and I thought “you do look good” and I hope to God the cancer is long gone.
And today, she will probably just have the family around. She doesn’t make a fuss about these things.
Her mum and dad will likely come and see her, and her sister.
William will make sure the children get her a nice present.
She’ll enjoy the fact that Louis, Charlotte and George will shower her with great love.
I think that’s what she needs most now.
