Tests after the operation found cancer had been present. This came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to manage this privately for the sake of our young family
THE Princess of Wales bravely announced last night that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.
In an emotional video message, filmed at Windsor this week, Kate, 42, revealed her ‘huge shock’ at the news and said she and William ‘have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family’.
‘It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay,’ the princess said.
‘Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you.’
The future queen’s cancer was discovered only after she underwent major abdominal surgery at The London Clinic in January. There was no indication of the disease at the time, but post-operative tests subsequently found that cancer ‘had been present’. Her bravery was praised by King Charles, who is undergoing his own cancer battle.
His spokesman said the monarch was ‘so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did’.
Charles and Kate were in the hospital at the same time, while he was undergoing surgery for an enlarged prostate. Doctors subsequently discovered he also had cancer.
Buckingham Palace said that, following their time in hospital together, Charles has ‘remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks’. Both he and Queen Camilla ‘will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time’.
Kate’s brother, James Middleton, said the family will rally around her. In an Instagram post, alongside a picture of the two as children, he wrote: ‘Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.’
In a short statement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wished the princess ‘health and healing’.
Sources have told the Mail that the past few months have been ‘unbelievably difficult’ for the Prince and Princess of Wales but they have been determined to put their children’s welfare first.
It is understood the princess wanted time and space to come to terms with her diagnosis, to recover from her surgery and to then begin her recovery. The couple decided to make their announcement yesterday after the children broke up from school for the Easter holidays, which they will now spend together as a family, so they could protect them from the inevitable public interest it would create.
Sources say the couple’s concern recently, despite vile global and social media speculation about the princess’s health and whereabouts, was to put Kate’s health and their children first.
It is now hoped this speculation will come to an end. Last night, the BBC, which filmed the garden clip, took the extraordinary step of issuing a statement detailing how it was recorded, seemingly in a bid to head off any conspiracy theories that it may have been a fake.
Such claims were made when a video emerged showing Kate and William at a Windsor farm shop last weekend. The princess is on what has been described as a ‘recovery pathway’, having commenced a course of chemotherapy in late February.
Kensington Palace says it will not be sharing details of what kind of cancer the princess has, or at what stage it was found, and has asked people not to speculate. It added that she was in ‘good spirits and focused on her recovery’.
A spokesman added: ‘She now needs time, space and privacy to complete her treatment and make a full recovery.’
In her video statement, seated on a bench and surrounded by spring flowers, the princess thanked members of the public for their ‘wonderful messages of support and understanding’. Even
‘William is a great source of comfort’ ‘She needs time and privacy’
amid her personal anguish, there was also a message for fellow cancer sufferers that they ‘should not lose faith or hope’. ‘You are not alone,’ Kate said.
The Palace will not confirm how long her treatment is expected to last, or whether it will be undertaken on the NHS or privately.
The Mail understands that William, 41, will carry out engagements when the children return to school after the holidays.
The Prince of Wales, it is understood, has been focused on supporting his wife and children, while continuing to undertake engagements and work.
The princess is apparently determined to go about her normal routine, which she sees as an important part of her recovery, and has asked for people to respect her privacy. However, it has been confirmed that the family will not be going to church at Windsor next Sunday for Easter with the rest of the Royal Family.
A CANCER diagnosis is always a frightening moment for any person, their family and friends. The doctor’s words may be short, but they provoke a maelstrom of emotions: Grief, shock, fear and the rest.
The patient must reconcile themselves to their illness, gruelling treatments must be undergone, there will be anxious loved ones and the unshakeable dread of the unknown.
To endure such an ordeal with one family member is dreadful; for two to face the battle simultaneously must be unimaginably grim.
That is the situation facing the Royal Family. With the nation reeling from the news King Charles is being treated for cancer, we now learn the Princess of Wales is too.
In some circles it is de rigueur to decry the old-fashioned indulgences of members of the monarchy, bemoaning unfairness or inequality. But at times like this we remember that while privileged, this clan is still just flesh and blood like the rest of us.
Just like ours, their lives can be turned upside down in a moment.
Yet because Charles is sovereign and Kate the future queen, it is understandable that concern over their illnesses will be magnified.
It seems only seconds since February 7, when a stark statement from Buckingham Palace revealed the King had cancer.
We have not been told its location or how far advanced it is, but he is supposed to be responding well to treatment.
A month on, the Princess of Wales has disclosed her own devastating diagnosis. In a message broadcast on television, she said tests following major abdominal surgery in January had showed a form of cancer present. As a result, she is having chemotherapy.
For any young woman of 42 to be diagnosed with cancer is traumatic. What will make it harder to bear is that Kate and William have three young children.
But a sense of perspective is important. Around half of us will develop cancer in our lifetimes. And while complacency should be avoided, with giant strides forward in medicine in recent years, survival rates are better than ever. As the princess said: ‘I am well and getting stronger every day.’
Her brave decision to speak about her health will have two immediate effects.
First, it will have an unusually powerful impact on public awareness. Kate’s candour may encourage others to be vigilant about their own health and get checked if something seems wrong. This could save lives.
With characteristic compassion, she sought to reassure all those whose lives have been blighted by cancer: ‘You are not alone.’
And secondly, the princess will hope to silence the social media trolls who have been peddling disgusting conspiracy theories to explain her absence from public life.
Our thoughts, too, are with the Prince of Wales. He has an enormous burden to bear and understandably wants to prioritise his family. He should take time off over Easter to care for them before resuming royal duties.
Her illness has been a cruel blow. William, Kate and their children have sprinkled a little stardust on the monarchy, rejuvenating it for a new generation. This is evident in the outpouring of love and sympathy from every corner of the country.
There is also a broader point to make. Whatever its travails and vulnerabilities, the monarchy has lasted 1,000 years.
What explains this abiding relevance? Not that it is some abstract system of rule, but that at heart it is a family. One that shares our hopes and fears, in good times and bad.
We send the princess, and the King, all our very best wishes.