Kate, William ‘extremely moved’ by outpouring of support

LONDON • Kate, the Princess of Wales, and her husband, Prince William, are said to be “extremely moved” by the public’s warmth and support following her shocking cancer announcement as tributes continued to pour in Sunday from around the world.

After weeks of frenzied speculation on social media about her health and well-being, Kate said in a candid video message on Friday that she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer following major abdominal surgery. The 42-year-old princess said the cancer discovery was a “huge shock” and she was now in the early stages of preventive chemotherapy.

“The prince and princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the U.K., across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’s message,” a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said. “They are extremely moved by the public’s warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time.”

There has been a global outpouring of support, including from U.S. President Joe Biden, and King Charles, who is also undergoing treatment for cancer. Neither Kate nor the king have revealed what type of cancer they have or the stage at which it was being treated.

People have flocked to the Royal’s main London residence, Kensington Palace, as well as to Windsor Castle, where they spend most of their time, to show support for the princess, with many leaving flowers.

Until Friday, officials had only said Kate’s surgery in January was successful and recuperation would keep the princess away from public duties until April. This sparked a flurry of rumour-mongering about the “missing” future queen, compounded after Kate acknowledged that she altered an official photo released to mark Mother’s Day in the U.K. earlier this month.