After several months of conspiracies about what was happening to the Princess of Wales – who underwent surgery on January 17th and has not seen much since -, the world was surprised by the worst news anyone could receive: Kate Middleton has cancer. The announcement was made by her, last Friday, on social media, in a video where she detailed that the oncological disease was discovered during the “scheduled abdominal surgery” to which she underwent at the beginning of the year. Remember that until then there was talk of the possibility of divorce between her and William, a possible pregnancy, the possible donation of a kidney from the princess to King Charles III, or even her death. Speculation increased after Kate published a photograph with her three children – to mark Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom – which was later removed by the international media because it had been manipulated. The princess didn’t take long to come and apologize for what had happened, but suspicions that something wasn’t right grew.
Kate has cancer
«I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all the wonderful messages of support and your understanding while I have been recovering from surgery», he begins by saying in the most recent video published by Casa Real. “It was an incredibly difficult two months for our whole family, but I had a fantastic medical team who looked after me very well, for which I am very grateful,” she continues. The princess explains that she underwent “major abdominal surgery”, which, at the time, was thought “not to be cancerous”. But although the surgery went well, it led to another diagnosis. “Exams carried out after the operation revealed the presence of cancer. Therefore, my medical team advised me to undergo preventive chemotherapy and I am now in the initial phase of this treatment,” she revealed. Kate did not specify the type of cancer or its stage. However, he guarantees that he is getting “stronger every day”. «Having William by my side is also a great source of comfort and tranquility. Just like the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. This means a lot to both of us,” she admits. Due to illness and despite the Royal House having announced that the Princess of Wales would return to her duties after Easter, it is now known that this will not be possible. “Work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to returning when I am able, but for now I must focus on recovering fully,” she said.
At the end of the video, Kate also leaves a message of strength for all cancer patients: «At this moment, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. To everyone facing this disease, whatever its form, please do not lose faith or hope. They are not alone”, concludes the daughter-in-law of Carlos III, who was one of the first to be “very proud” of “his courage in speaking as he did” about the cancer he was diagnosed with. The information was provided by Buckingham Palace itself. The monarch – who was also diagnosed with cancer this year – says he remains in close contact with his “adored daughter-in-law”. The day after Kate’s video was recorded – according to The Guardian newspaper, the video was recorded last Wednesday, March 20 – the princess was invited by the king for lunch at Windsor Castle.
Kate’s lookalike
Before publishing the video announcing the illness, the Princess of Wales was seen with her husband on a trip to one of her favorite stores, near her country home in Windsor. According to The Sun, a source said the Princess of Wales looked “happy, healthy and calm” as they visited the farm produce store. But, once again, the video was enough to spark yet another conspiracy theory around Kate. Was it really her? It wasn’t long before many considered her to be a look-alike. On social media, comments multiplied that Kate’s height would not be the same as that of the woman present in the video. According to them, this would be Heidi Agan, 43 years old, who is hired as the princess’s double in various parts of the world, earning 760 euros per hour.
But Hedi quickly came to the defense of the Princess of Wales, guaranteeing that she had nothing to do with the images. «I wasn’t there. It definitely wasn’t me and I 100% believe it was Kate and William in the video,” she said on the This Morning program on the British channel ITV. For the look-alike, speculation has gone “too far” and needs to come to an end. «She is alive, and we can be sure of that. It all went too far. It started as a joke about ‘where’s Kate?’, but has now turned into a drama. Therefore, we need to stop”, she defended.
The illness of Charles III
As mentioned, this is the second case of cancer in the family in less than a month, giving the impression that the death of Queen Elizabeth II (less than two years ago) has shaken the family. Carlos III was diagnosed at the beginning of February, after undergoing “treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia”. The exact type of cancer has also not been revealed. However, a royal source told the same publication that it is not prostate cancer, but did not provide further details.
According to the palace, the king ended up postponing public commitments during treatment following the advice of doctors, but will continue to deal with state affairs and official documentation. “The king remains completely positive about his treatment and hopes to return to his public duties as soon as possible,” he added at the time.
Recently, Peter Phillips, the 76-year-old monarch’s nephew, said that his uncle is frustrated by the break in “work”. In an interview with The Royal Report, Phillips assured that Carlos III maintains “a positive spirit”, however, he cannot help but feel “frustrated” by the number of things he is prevented from doing. “I think at the end of the day he feels frustrated. He is frustrated because he cannot move forward and do everything he wants to do (…) But he is very pragmatic and understands that it is a phase in which he needs to focus on himself », he stressed to the Australian newspaper.
Excluded from the family?
It’s no secret to anyone how distant Prince Harry has been from his family. After the release of his bombastic biography, Spare, in Portuguese In the Shadow, where he reveals several details about his growth that did not please the royal family; from the Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, where the couple exposes several royal intrigues, and from the Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, where she stated that members of the British royal family expressed “concern” about the color of the baby’s skin. The couple’s son, Archie, even before his birth, things were getting ugly between Lady Di and Charles III’s youngest son and the family. And according to the Sunday Times, not even the Princess of Wales’s illness brought them closer together. In fact, according to the same publication, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who have already issued a short statement of support for Kate – were not informed of Kate’s illness before the video was released.
According to the newspaper’s royal editor, Roya Nikkhah, they did not speak to Kate before the news broke, “nor was there any private conversation between the two brothers.” “We wish Kate and her family health and healing, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” Harry and Meghan said in a statement cited by the British press.
André’s scandal
In addition to Harry’s illnesses and removal, Prince Andrew – second son of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – was also involved in a scandal that shook the family and ended up removing him from Buckingham Palace. The Duke of York, 62, was removed from his duties as a member of the royal family after being involved in the Jeffrey Epstein-related child sexual abuse scandal.
At the end of 2022, Charles III had already banned his brother from using the office in Buckingham. In January 2023, his possessions were permanently removed from space. “The king made it clear that Buckingham Palace is no place for Prince Andrew,” a source told The Sun at the time. Furthermore, he was denied access to the rooms.
It is recalled that the case of sexual abuse of minors against the prince, presented by Virgínia Giuffre in a New York court, was formally archived on March 8, 2022. The two parties entered into a private agreement, where André would have to pay more than 14 million euros to the alleged victim. The woman assured that she met the prince in the sex trafficking scheme organized by Epstein, who committed suicide after being arrested in 2019. However, the Duke of York always denied the accusations, even saying he did not know Virginia.
At the beginning of 2022, his mother had already stripped him of his military titles and charitable institutions. At that time, André also had to renounce his title of Royal Highness. And, in April, he ended up losing the honorary title of the city of York, a decision made by local authorities and approved unanimously.
We don’t know what will happen next, but one thing is certain: these are difficult times in the Royal House. Will everything go back to “normal”
