Royal Expert Addresses Rollout of 'Shocking' Kate Middleton Cancer News
Princess Kate Middleton is conducting herself with “courage and grace” amid her cancer battle, according to royal expert Christopher Andersen.
“This is all so shocking, and, frankly, heartbreaking. It is hard to imagine anyone who could have handled this situation with more courage and grace than Kate,” Andersen, who wrote the 2011 biography William and Kate: A Royal Love Story, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, March 22. “I understand completely why she wanted to protect her children.”
Kate, 42, announced in a Friday video message that she had been diagnosed with a form of cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January. In the footage, Kate explained that she and husband Prince William waited to share the news until they could explain her condition to their kids: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. (A source told Us that Kate and William, 41, were waiting until the kids’ school got out for Easter break.)
The announcement caught much of the public off guard, who had been ferociously speculating about Kate’s well-being since her last official appearance in December 2023. Kate has since been seen via grainy photos earlier this month, prompting more rumors and speculation.
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“The need for this sort of bombshell announcement might have been avoided entirely if the Palace had been open and honest from the beginning. Ripping off the Band-Aid works,” Andersen told Us. “Yes, people would have been shocked if they’d known about it when the cancer diagnosis was made [on February] 27, but it would have blown over quickly — and we wouldn’t have had this tsunami of conspiracy theories sweep through the internet over a period of weeks.”
Andersen further suggested that the “ripping off the Band-Aid” approach worked for King Charles III amid his own cancer battle, which was announced by the palace last month.
“[He] let us know he was suffering from cancer immediately. But we still don’t know what type of cancer either of them has, and that continues to be disturbing,” Andersen said. “Why keep this secret? It really makes no sense at this point.”
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Neither Kate nor Charles, 75, have plans to disclose the type of cancers they were diagnosed with nor immediate updates on their conditions.
As Kate and Charles continue to undergo treatment, they have halted most of their public appearances save for a few audiences at the palace for the king.
“This a devastating blow to the royal family and to the institution of the monarchy itself, no question,” Andersen added. “No one would have written a scenario where the king and the Princess of Wales are both battling cancer at the same time. Now the full weight of the monarchy rests on the shoulders of William and Queen Camilla.”
Both William and Camilla, who is married to Charles, have and will continue to make official appearances. Other senior working royals, including Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie, also continue to step out on behalf of the Commonwealth.
