The Princess of Wales has made a significant lifestyle change following her cancer diagnosis, revealing she has become much more conscious about alcohol consumption. During a recent visit to a London brewery, Princess Kate, 44, who was diagnosed with cancer in March 2024 and is now in remission, let her husband handle the beer and cider tasting while she abstained.
The Sobering Scientific Reality
Cancer Research UK states that alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including breast, bowel, mouth, oesophagus, larynx, and pharynx cancers. A 2024 report from the American Association for Cancer Research has further linked drinking to liver and stomach cancer, while several studies have found associations between alcohol consumption and both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.
Professor Justin Stebbing, a cancer expert and Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, explains the concerning trend: "In 2019, over one in twenty cancer diagnoses in the west were attributed to alcohol, and this is rising. The report shows a concerning rise in certain cancers among younger adults. While researchers are still investigating, alcohol consumption is a leading suspected cause."
No Safe Level of Consumption
Perhaps most alarmingly, research indicates there appears to be no safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer risk. Even one drink daily raises breast cancer risk compared to not drinking at all. Cancer epidemiologist Professor Julie Palmer stated at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: "Almost all studies find that women who drink at least one drink per day, or maybe a little bit less, have an increased risk of breast cancer."
The US Breast Cancer Research Foundation provides specific statistics:
- Women who have one drink daily have a 7–10% higher breast cancer risk than non-drinkers
- Those consuming 2-3 drinks daily have about a 20% higher risk
- A 2026 study found women drinking more than 14 units weekly have a shocking 52% higher risk
Personal Perspectives on Risk
Leah Hardy, who is in remission from aggressive HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosed in September 2021, represents a different approach. While many of her friends with similar diagnoses have stopped drinking, Hardy continues to enjoy alcohol socially, sharing a bottle of chianti over pizza with friends and keeping prosecco in her fridge for weekend dinners.
"Some might think I'm being reckless," Hardy acknowledges, "but I feel that after surviving cancer, I want to enjoy life." She stopped drinking during treatment due to specific medication risks but celebrated her tumour's annihilation with champagne.
The Complex Science of Recurrence
Professor Amy Berrington, Team Leader in Clinical Cancer Epidemiology at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, offers some reassurance about recurrence: "There's been quite a few studies and so far, there is no good evidence that alcohol increases the chance of breast cancer coming back. So that's one less thing to worry about."
However, she cautions that this is a growing area of research, and the situation differs for other cancers. A 2016 study found alcohol could increase the risk of bowel cancer spreading to the liver and speed up rectal cancer recurrence, while other research indicates alcohol might make mouth and throat cancers more likely to return.
How Alcohol Causes Cancer
Professor Stebbing explains the biological mechanisms: "When we drink, our bodies break down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a substance that can damage our DNA, the blueprint of our cells. This means that alcohol can potentially rewrite our DNA and create changes called mutations, which in turn can cause cancer."
Additional mechanisms include:
- Making it harder for the body to absorb essential nutrients
- Changing hormone levels in ways that affect hormone-sensitive cancers
- Allowing more harmful chemicals to reach mouth and throat cells
- Disrupting gut bacteria, which affects various cancer risks
Balancing Risk and Lifestyle
Hardy has made other significant lifestyle changes since her diagnosis, including regular exercise through yoga, barre, weights, and pilates, maintaining a healthy weight, and never smoking. Cancer Research UK confirms that staying at a healthy weight lowers the risk of thirteen types of cancer, and evidence suggests physical activity helps breast cancer survivors live longer.
The science remains clear: alcohol raises cancer risk, no amount is completely safe, and risk increases with greater consumption. Yet cancer has multiple causes including age, genetics, and chance factors. Many non-drinkers still develop cancer, while some heavy drinkers never do.
Whether choosing abstinence like Princess Kate or moderate social drinking like Leah Hardy, the decision remains deeply personal. What matters most is making that choice with clear-eyed understanding of potential risks and in consultation with medical professionals who understand individual circumstances and cancer types.
