Typically, when it comes to the British royal family, the thing that people are most interested in is the relationships. Who gets along with who, who is fighting with who, and how the dynamics within the family have shifted. But in the last few years, as King Charles and Kate Middleton announced their battles with cancer, there has been renewed interest in the wellbeing of all the members of the family.

Now, Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith has come out to praise his niece after she scaled three of the UK’s highest peaks in 24 hours amid her cancer recovery.

“It takes me back to her childhood when they would go to the Lakes [District],” he told the Daily Mail of her taking on the National Three Peaks Challenge, adding that he was “awestruck.”

“You put on your walking boots and off you go. For Kate, it felt like a return to nature, a return to her childhood,” he added.

The challenge involves climbing the highest summits in Scotland, England and Wales, Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, within 24 hours. Middleton completed the challenge in late June, to help raise funds for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Goldsmith also revealed his own health issues, which had him close to death in April 2025. He reportedly gave up alcohol and started GLP-1 drug Mounjaro, which led him to lose 85 pounds. However, he took a pause in the medication and ate seafood and cake while on Ibiza for his 60th birthday.

Eight days later, he woke up and felt “terribly sick” and then began “projectile vomiting blood.” He then needed a procedure to tackle some enlarged veins in his esophagus, which the outlet said was the result of liver disease.

“If they hadn’t banded me I would have bled to death,” he said.

This all happened just months after Kate Middleton announced she was in remission from cancer. He emphasized that, despite the stressful moment for Carole Middleton, Kate’s mom and his sister, and the entire family, they were all there for him.

“I’m very conscious that your brother being poorly is one thing. Your daughter suffering with cancer is massive,” he told the outlet, adding, “She weighed in, wanting me to be more mindful of my age, to make sure I was getting enough sleep, eat more healthily.”

Reportedly, Carole recommended he stay active, walk more, drink less, and take supplements. “As she is 10 years older than me. When we were kids, it was like growing up with two mothers. She still has that maternal concern for me,” he told the outlet.

Goldsmith has made headlines for other reasons. In November 2017, he appeared in court and admitted to physically assaulting his wife after a night out, per the BBC. Goldsmith was sentenced to a 12-month community order, 20 sessions of rehabilitation, and fined £5,000 (around $6,688), according to Sky News.

Then, he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother UK, which brought his previous arrest to light. “The decision to include a man who has been charged, and pleaded guilty to, assaulting his wife, in the Celebrity Big Brother house demonstrates the lack of awareness that the production team has when it comes to survivors of domestic abuse,” said a statement from a charity looking to end domestic abuse.