Exclusive: Kate Middleton's Cancer Diagnosis Announcement Was 'the Most Courageous Type of Speech Given by a Public Figure in Britain'
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced her cancer struggle nearly one month ago, and the "emotional" video she released to social media has been praised for its bravery.
"I think there is a great deal of sympathy, both for the King and for Catherine, especially after her broadcast which I thought was perhaps the most courageous of its type given by a public figure in Britain," royal and entertainment expert Richard Fitzwilliams exclusively tells The Royal Observer.
"Millions have been affected by this malign disease," he adds when highlighting how the future queen's message likely resonated with sufferers of the illness across the world.
Both the Princess of Wales and King Charles III are battling unknown forms of malignancy, with Kate's diagnosis following a "detection that the disease had been present" based on pathology reports after her abdominal surgery back in January. It is believed the King's sickness is an active form of the disease and his treatments are not merely "preventative" like his daughter-in-law's. This has drawn many to reflect and report on their "loving" bond with one another.
"The King has always had a close, warm, and unique relationship with the princess," a palace source revealed about the pair's dynamic. "She has a great love and respect for him and his position. When they were in hospital together there was a lot of toddling down the corridor to spend time with her. He has been encouraging and supporting her throughout."
"He's not a father figure as such — she’s got her own dad to whom she's absolutely devoted — but you could say the king treats her like the daughter he never had," a report published on March 23, stated. "You see it in the pictures of them together. That relationship is best summed up in those fascinating moments when she greets him first with a kiss and then with a curtsy."
"It is highly unusual for just the two of them to sit down together like this," a source revealed when discussing a reported lunch meeting between the future queen and her Sovereign on March 21. "The King had already been made aware that the woman he calls 'my beloved daughter-in-law' had cancer. They would have had lots to discuss and share because just weeks earlier the King had begun his course of treatment and dealt with announcing his diagnosis. The King left his lunch feeling very emotional."
Unlike His Majesty, who is surprising many by returning to his public work "so early," it remains unknown when the Princess of Wales will return to her public engagements. Her husband, Prince William, will resume his royal duties on Thursday, April 18, having taken the previous month off to be with his wife and their three children.