Princess Catherine cancer diagnosis: New details about speech, royal issues message
Details have emerged about Princess Catherine’s unprecedented video message as the much-loved royal issues a new statement.
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The Princess of Wales wrote her cancer video message “by herself, very quickly” in a bid to quash wild speculation about her health and marriage, a close friend has revealed.
The royal’s video speech revealing her diagnosis, which sent shockwaves around the world, surprised even those closest to her, The Sunday Times reports.
A friend told The Sunday Times: “It allowed her to speak directly to the public who, overwhelmingly, have always been with her and her family and who don’t buy into the noise and gossip.
“It was all her, she wrote every word of it, it came together very quickly.”
According to the report, Catherine was keen to quell further speculation about her health and her marriage as her diagnosis meant she would not be returning to royal duties soon.
The friend told The Sunday Times: “What had shifted in the last few weeks was the sense that she felt: ‘I’m not going to have a normal return to work after Easter that everyone is expecting,’ and everyone was anticipating some kind of update around Easter.”
The royal also felt a duty to share her condition with the public to offer hope and solidarity for others experiencing the same challenges, the report said.
It has also been reported the Princess had a private lunch with her father-in-law King Charles at Windsor Castle just hours before her public announcement about her condition.
A source told The Sun: “It is highly unusual for just the two of them to sit down together like this.
“The King had already been made aware that the woman he calls ‘my beloved daughter-in-law’ had cancer.”
It has also been reported the Princess had a private lunch with her father-in-law King Charles just hours before her public announcement about her condition.
Earlier, the Princess of Wales issued a message of thanks, saying she is “extremely moved” by the warmth and support she has received as she navigates treatment.
Just 24 hours since announcing her illness, Princess Catherine, 42, sent a message to the British and Commonwealth nations recognising the goodwill she has been shown since Kensington Palace released her video message to the public in which she revealed her “huge shock” at discovering she had cancer.
In a joint message from the Princess and Prince of Wales released by the palace at 10pm local time (9am on Sunday AEDT), the couple said they were “extremely moved by the avalanche of messages of support from around the world.
“The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’ message,” the statement 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.”
The Princess is having preventative chemotherapy for an unknown cancer discovered when she was having what she thought was abdominal surgery for a non-cancerous condition.
She will not return to public duty until she is well and ready and will not attend the Easter Sunday mattins at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle to protect her health as she receives further treatment and medical advice.
Catherine on Saturday revealed she is in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy after she underwent abdominal surgery at the private London Clinic in January, sending shockwaves around the world.
It is expected Prince William will return to royal duties after the Easter holidays.
HARRY ‘READY TO STEP BACK INTO ROYAL DUTIES’
A Buckingham Palace aide has revealed that US-based Prince Harry, the fifth in line to throne, has offered his services to help plug the gaps in the immediate absence of his cancer-stricken father and the Princess - but the news has not been well received.
“Harry has told the King he will step in and help, if he wants him to, but there is no way after everything that has happened between them that His Majesty can allow him back in,” a royal aide said.
“There is too much water under the bridge, Harry coming back would just make things worse.”
Prince Harry, who has been living in Montecito, California, with Meghan Markle and their two children, is understood to have been telling friends he would be happy to share the burden of some royal duties if required.
With the Princess of Wales requiring a much longer period away from official duties than initially thought likely for her to recuperate from abdominal surgery, the spotlight falls on a dwindling number of royals to take on frontline duties, and the “trimmed down” monarchy has been left positively skeletal.
Prince Andrew was forced to quit after the disastrous UK television interview in which he failed to win the confidence of public when was questioned about his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said that Prince William would return to duties after the Easter holidays but his focus remains on his wife and their three young children.
Queen Camilla has this week fronted solo visits to the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, which were both initially scheduled as joint trips with the King.
At the age of 76, Camilla who, like Prince William, is also trying to support her partner through health difficulties, is said to be “exhausted” and needed a week off earlier this month to recharge the batteries after representing the Royal Family in her husband and Princess Catherine’s absences.
Apart from Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, has shown her mettle and remains at the top of the table of “hardest working royal” last year carrying out 457 engagements as she lent unwavering support to her brother in his role as monarch.
She has been bolstered in recent days with support from the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh who have stepped forward to help front royal engagements in the king’s absence.
But even for the industrious Princess Anne, working in a “slimmed down” monarchy is “not a great situation.”
HARRY WILL WANT TO ‘FIX’ RELATIONSHIP WITH WILLIAM, KATE
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan could utilise the “perfect opportunity” to fix their relationship with Princess Catherine and Prince William, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a short statement following Princess Catherine’s decision to announce she is undergoing treatment for cancer.
The pair said: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”
The Princess of Wales revealed her health battle to the world in an emotional video message.
The royal said it came as a “huge shock” to her following further tests after her abdominal surgery, but said “I am well and getting stronger every day”.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun, Princess Catherine’s diagnosis is the “perfect opportunity” for the Sussexes to mend their rift with Prince William and his wife.
“This is a dreadful situation - a major operation followed by cancer,” Mr Fitzwilliams said.
“There is always sometimes in the most awful and serious thing sometimes opportunities come as well... one must hope there is as much positivity as possible that’s what she is spreading with the message like that.
“This is also an opportunity for the trolls and the evil people spreading malicious rumours to be silenced.”
Mr Fitzwilliams said that the health update will have “devastated” Prince Harry as he discussed whether or not the iced-out royal would visit his sister-in-law.
“He’ll be probably be pretty devastated I’d say.
“Whether he comes to the UK to visit Kate, time will have to tell.”
HARRY, MEGHAN REACH OUT TO KATE ‘PRIVATELY’
Prince Harry and Meghan are said to have reached out “privately” Prince William and Princess Catherine immediately after the Princess revealed her shock cancer diagnosis to the world.
“Harry and Meghan have both been in touch with their brother/sister-in-law but did so privately. It not clear if that was a phone/video call or some messages of support,” British royal expert Chris Ship revealed via X (formerly Twitter).
It is understood the Prince Harry and Meghan contacted the couple after Princess Catherine’s pre-recorded video announcement was aired.
Sources told The New York Post the Sussexes had “no idea” about Princess Catherine’s condition until she announced it publicly, and only learned of the news around the same time the “rest of the world found out”.
Prince Harry had previously described Princess Catherine as the “big sister I never had” when she became engaged to Prince William in 2010.
For the past four years, Prince Harry and Ms Markle have shaken the foundations of the monarchy with barbed attacks aimed at Prince William and his wife.
Prince Harry’s relationship with his sister-in-law has deteriorated over the past four years, when he accused Princess Catherine of “making [Meghan] cry” during preparations for their 2018 wedding, and later naming the Princess, along with King Charles, as the “royal racists”.
Last week, the rift between the brothers was starkly apparent when they made separate appearances at a memorial event for their mother Princess Diana, with Prince Harry joining via videolink after Prince William had left the event.
CELEBS APOLOGISE TO KATE
Controversial British journalist Owen Jones and actress Blake Lively have expressed sorrow for peddling conspiracy theories about Princess Catherine after she announced she was receiving treatment for cancer.
The political activist and former Labour Party member admitted he was embarrassed on Twitter/X for making ill-judged remarks about her health writing: “As someone who speculated on this without considering it could be a serious health condition, I’m very ashamed to be honest, and all the very best to her.”
Blake Lively wished the Princess well before apologising for an ill-advised jibe about the photoshop row over a family photograph Catherine had issued before her diagnosis was revealed.
Writing on Instagram, she said: “I’m sure no one cares today but I feel like I have to acknowledge this,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I made a silly post around the photoshop fails frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today. I’m sorry. Sending love and well wishes to all, always.”
Kensington Palace officials say they understand the worldwide interest in the princess’s announcement but would not detail what type of cancer she has and would only provide an update when there is something significant to say.
It is expected Prince William will return to royal duties after the Easter holidays.
“The Prince will continue to balance supporting his wife and family and maintaining his official duties as he has done since the start of the year,” a Kensington Palace spokesman said.
KATE’S UNCLE ‘DEEPLY UPSET’ OVER CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales’s uncle Gary Goldsmith has said he was “deeply upset” that he went into the Celebrity Big Brother television show not knowing his niece was fighting cancer.
The former businessman, who was last week evicted from the reality show which first aired in early March, after Princess Catherine was given the devastating news tests had detected cancer, wrote on Twitter/X that he had no idea of “the sad news regarding my niece Kate”.
He wrote: “As many will have seen, I am featured in Saturday’s ‘Times Magazine’.
“This interview and shoot was done over a week ago and went to print before I was aware of the sad news regarding my niece Kate.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Kate and the wider family at this difficult time and deeply upset at the timing of this article.
“I hope this draws a line over the continued speculation and horrible conspiracies.
“Let’s give Kate, William & the children time and show some love back.”
The mother-of-three underwent successful major abdominal surgery in January and spent 13 days in hospital. She has not undertaken frontline royal duties for 10 weeks.
WHY THE NEXT 12 WEEKS WILL BE CRUCIAL FOR KATE
The next 12 weeks will prove critical for Princess Catherine as she undergoes a gruelling course of preventive chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells from potentially returning.
The Princess of Wales on Saturday revealed she was in “the early stages of that treatment” after tests post her abdominal surgery in January showed the presence of cancer.
While the mother-of-three did not reveal what type of cancer she is battling, medical experts said most courses of preventive chemotherapy last 12 weeks and are commonly delivered by infusion either at a hospital or via a portal pump.
While chemotherapy is the use of powerful medicines to treat cancer by destroying or slowing the growth of cancer cells, preventive chemotherapy is a treatment that is given after surgery in hopes that it will increase the odds of a full recovery.
The side effects the Princess of Wales will endure largely depend on the cancer she is being treated for.
But the loss of her hair, as well as nausea and infections are all possible side effects for cancer patients.
“In many cases, surgery is followed by chemotherapy to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back and to aim for the best possible outcomes,” Cancer Australia’s Medical Director Professor Vivienne Milch said
“Treatment side effects are different for different types of treatment and for each person with cancer,” Prof Milch said.
Oncologists call the use of preventive chemotherapy “adjuvant” therapy and treatment can last from a few weeks to as long as a year after the surgery.
Potential side effects including nausea and vomiting can be mitigated through “good supportive care [that] can manage the side effects and toxicities of treatments”.
“Cancer treatments are improving all the time, as knowledge is advancing through clinical trials and innovation,” Prof Milch said.
Princess Catherine is the third member of the royal family to battle cancer, with her father-in-law King Charles revealing his on diagnosis earlier this year, and Sarah Ferguson undergoing a mastectomy last June, and then later confirming she was being treated for unrelated malignant melanoma.
While Princess Catherine’s cancer diagnosis may have come as a shock, at 42 she is the age category which accounted for the biggest increase in cancer diagnosis among Australians.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s latest Cancer in Australia report from 2021, cancer diagnosis for those aged between 40 and 59 increased quicker than any other age group,
In 2023, it was estimated cancer was responsible for about three of every 10 deaths in Australia.
Dr Beth Karlan, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre’s director of women’s health research, said Princess Catherine’s public admission about her cancer battle and treatment will have a positive impact on others.
“There is a lot of evidence to support adjuvant chemotherapy impacting overall survival, and allowing patients to live years longer and perhaps even effecting a cure,” Dr Karlan said.
“The example she is providing with her message will have a salutary effect on so many other people.”
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