The ‘Drama’ Online Wasn’t Behind Kate Middleton’s Cancer Announcement Video, Friend Claims

Kate Middleton announced her cancer diagnosis in a short video message broadcast on March 22, 2024.

It seems Kate Middleton announced her cancer diagnosis in a March 22 video clip, not because of online speculation about her health. Rather, according to a friend of the Princess of Wales,’ the 42-year-old British royal did it for an entirely different reason, because of “who she is.”
According to a report from The Sunday Times, Kate released a video announcing her cancer diagnosis not because of public pressure, especially in the wake of reported attempts to access private medical records.

Rather, a friend of the Princess of Wales’ told the outlet, it centered around her status as a “public figure.”“It wasn’t really about the drama of the last few weeks, though obviously that has been upsetting,” they said. “She felt she had to do it because of who she is.” The insider explained: “It was more that she knows she is a public figure and has a wider leadership responsibility.” Kate is, after all, a future queen as the wife of Prince William, 41, who is first in the British royal family’s line of succession.

Kate, they added, wrote the speech for the video. “It was all her, she wrote every word of it. It came together very quickly.” The video of Kate came after speculation online about her health reached a fever pitch. There were conspiracy theories, a paparazzi shot, footage of a visit to a local market, and, of course, the edited photo controversy. Despite it all, Kate wanted to go in front of the camera to share her diagnosis with the world. “A written statement, she felt, would be too jarring,” a source said.

“It was about people seeing her, and her reassuring people that she was positive about it,” they added. “Knowing it was news that was going to shock people, she wanted to do it as compassionately as possible.” The video, a friend of Kate’s told the outlet, “allowed her to speak directly to the public who, overwhelmingly, have always been with her and her family and who don’t buy into the noise and gossip.” Despite being a relatively short video, clocking in at just over two minutes, Kate shared quite a bit of information. She began by thanking the public for their “wonderful messages of support” and “understanding” during her recovery from abdominal surgery in January 2024.

Calling it an “incredibly tough couple of months,” Kate proceeded to reveal her cancer diagnosis, noting tests following the surgery “found cancer had been present.” However, she didn’t share the type or the stage. She went on to say she’s now in the “early stages” of “preventative chemotherapy.” The news, Kate continued, “came as a huge shock.” Ever since, she and William have been doing “everything” they “can to process and manage this privately” due to their “young family.”

William and Kate have three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. It’s “taken time,” she said, not only to recover from surgery and start chemotherapy but, “most importantly,” to “explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them. And to reassure them that I am going to be OK.” “As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body, and spirits.” Kate went on to call William a “great source of comfort and reassurance” before asking for “some time, space, and privacy” as she undergoes treatment and “focus[es] on making a full recovery.”