We don’t need to know what cancer she had,” said one woman who spoke to Kate on Tuesday. “We just know she’s been through surgery, she’s been through chemo—and one year later, my goodness, look, she is here.

Kate Middleton kicked off her year with a strong start as she embraced her new royal role with poise, following her “brutal” health scare of last year.The Princess of Wales on

"It was just like talking to a friend about a really horrible time in life and how you find ways of getting through it," Katherine Field tells PEOPLE of the Princess of Wales