Princess Kate announces cancer diagnosis
By Amber Main
The BBC reporting on the announcement of Princess Kate’s Diagnosis (Image: Getty Images)
Cancer has lingered within the royal family for decades; the first suspicion was Queen Mary I but this was merely speculation. Now as of March 2024, two members of the royal family have been confirmed to have cancer, King Charles III and most recently Catherine Middleton Princess of Wales.
Rumours regarding the Princess of Wales, who is often addressed as Kate, surfaced on the internet following her absence in public appearances, royal duties and in the media since January due to undergoing a “planned abdominal surgery.”
Unaware of her whereabouts, cruel speculations of the princess of Wales having an affair became frequent on social media, some even going as far as to creating allegations against William, claiming he was also having an affair with Rose Hanbury.
His avoidance of speaking about his wife’s condition and recovery fuelled these negative assumptions. Rose Hanbury’s Lawyers came forth, telling the media that these rumours “are completely false.”
If that was not enough, major agencies such as AP News began poking around at Princess Kate’s Mother's Day photo with her three children, pointing out that the photo had clearly been manipulated and tampered with - removing it from their press libraries.
In response, Kate had posted to twitter: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day."
All the rumours surrounding Kate’s absence was finally been debunked last week when Kate issued a video statement confirming there was traces of cancer were found after her surgery. In the video, Kate says: “The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the initial stages of treatment.”
She made it clear that she wished to tell her children, and process this with her family before making the public aware of her diagnosis. She requests that people respect her need for time, space, and privacy as she goes forward with her treatment in the initial stages.
Celebrities, news agencies and the public have henceforth apologised, and wished Princess Catherine and her family all the best in this difficult time.