Catherine, Princess of Wales, has said she is “enormously touched” by the outpouring of love she has received from all over the world following her shocking announcement on Friday that she is being treated for cancer.
Catherine, 42, said she was having preventative chemotherapy in a video message to the UK, generating a wave of support from global leaders, family members, media and the public.
“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,” Catherine and her husband Prince William, the heir to the throne, said in a statement released late on Saturday.
“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 declaration followed weeks of wild speculation about Catherine’s health, with some admiring her bravery and others criticizing the speculations that arose during her absence.
The honest confession has plunged the British monarchy into difficulty, with King Charles III only recently announcing that he was also battling cancer.
Charles, who was 17 months into his reign when Buckingham Palace announced in February that he would postpone all public engagements, led tributes to his “beloved daughter-in-law”.
The 75-year-old monarch expressed his admiration for “her courage in speaking as she did”.
Global support
Following other warm words from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the White House, British newspapers hailed her courage.
“Kate, you are not alone” read the front page of The Sun. The tabloid said it was “hugely comforting” to hear Kate say she was getting stronger.
“Perhaps the world will now appreciate why so much secrecy surrounded her surgery in January,” it added.
The Daily Mail tabloid denounced the “social media trolls who have been peddling disgusting conspiracy theories to explain her absence from public life”.
Outside Kensington Palace in London, Nathaniel Taylor, a 24-year-old government worker, said: “I think it’s really damning what happened to them, what the media has done, how they’ve reacted over these past couple of months.
“I think some speculation is inevitable but the lengths people were going to try and make things up it’s just (too much). Hopefully, people take a look in the mirror.”
At Tower Bridge, Sofia, a 19-year-old student who did not give her family name, said she had seen “weird accusations” about the absence and that the true reason was “sad”.
“Obviously it was a much (more) serious matter”, she said.
Royal health woes
In her statement, Kate, as the princess is generally known, said the diagnosis was a “huge shock” and requested “time, space, and privacy” while undergoing chemotherapy.
She said she was “well” in the video, which was filmed on Wednesday in Windsor, west of London, where the future queen and king live with their three young children.
She stated that it had taken some time to explain the issue to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, “and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.”
On February 5, Buckingham Palace revealed Prince Charles had “a form of cancer” after tests, but provided no further details.
He has cancelled all public appearances, with the exception of meetings with the prime minister and diplomats, and has been working on official documents while undergoing treatment.
He’s been photographed multiple times since then and seen attending church.
“There’s no doubt at all that it’s a very, very difficult time for the institution of monarchy,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told AFP
Kate was last seen at a public engagement on December 25.
Kensington Palace announced on January 17 that she faced up to two weeks in hospital and several months of recuperation following abdominal surgery.
She was not expected to be ready to return to public duties until after Easter on March 31, a statement at the time said.
‘Doing their best’
However, Kate revealed that testing following the operation “found cancer had been present” and that she was now having “preventative chemotherapy”.
Kensington Palace stated that she would resume official activities “when cleared by her medical team.”
Meanwhile, the royal family is experiencing a staffing problem, with two members battling major health issues and others stepping aside from frontline tasks.
William’s younger brother Harry and his wife Meghan left the royal family in 2020 and now live in the United States, estranged from the rest of the family after their painful breakup.
The king’s brother Andrew is also out of commission, having resigned from royal duties in 2019 following a catastrophic television appearance in which he defended his acquaintance with the late US sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.