Something few people are discussing at the moment: who knew about the Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnosis and when did they know? While some of Kensington Palace’s months of fiascoes can be explained in retrospect with Kate’s cancer diagnosis, that doesn’t change the fact that KP blamed the Mother’s Day photo on a woman with cancer, nor does it explain all of the crazy briefings in the past month, nor does does the timeline make much sense. Maybe we’ll eventually get clarity on some of that stuff. But in the meantime, People Magazine is running exclusives (from their cover story this week) about how barely anyone knew about Kate’s diagnosis.
Always wary of leaks to the press, Kate Middleton had been open about her cancer diagnosis to some, but other close friends and confidants were unaware.
“It was a heck of a shock,” one tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s cover story. Adds a former palace aide: “The circle of knowledge was very tight. ”
In a video that sent shockwaves around the globe on March 22, Princess Kate, 42, revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. The royal mom, so famous for her unerring poise, spoke about initially keeping the diagnosis private for “the sake of our young family,” her voice cracking at the reference to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, whom she shares with Prince William.
Says a source close to the royal household, “She held it together.”
Behind the scenes, the Princess of Wales has been taking steps to prioritize her health and well-being, but she hasn’t been in complete seclusion. Both she and Prince William, 41, have been spotted at their children’s sports events and lessons in recent weeks. On March 16, the couple were photographed running errands together at Windsor’s Farm Shop.
“Having fun together when they can is very important,” says a family friend. “This is about her feeling supported. She doesn’t feel isolated at all.”
Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, have been an additional source of help, with Carole accompanying her daughter on school drop-offs. Kate’s younger siblings, Pippa and James, along with their families, are also nearby. In a touching statement accompanied by a photo of himself and Kate as children, James wrote on Instagram: “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family we will climb this one with you too.”
While Kate’s health crisis has strengthened the safety net around her, it has also highlighted the royal family’s ongoing estrangement from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who learned the news at the same time as the rest of the world. However, they privately reached out to William and Kate following the announcement and publicly released a statement: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”
“On March 16, the couple were photographed running errands together at Windsor’s Farm Shop.” Yeah, this bugs me. The Windsor Farm Shop video is, to me, still extremely questionable and I hate that the palace has taken the position now that if you question the farm shop video, you’re bullying Kate. That IS the palace’s position too, and they’ve been trying to cover their tracks ever since Kate’s cancer-announcement video. Someone told Roya Nikkhah at the Times last weekend that Kate “wants to be able to carry on with as active and normal a routine as possible and not have it become a huge issue when she goes to a farm shop near their home in Windsor, with people then suggesting that’s a PR move.” It was a PR move and a sloppy one at that, given the palace was actively working with the Sun on that story and that video.
As for the secrecy… Nikkhah’s story mentioned that as well, that Kate’s closest friends were caught off guard by the news. At some point, someone will have to ask when Kate’s staffers learned of the news and when Buckingham Palace was informed. Because I think the answer is “last week” for both.
#KateMiddleton seemed to be in good spirits while out and about with #PrinceWilliam Saturday. https://t.co/kLUsfvt3b2 (🎥: TMZ/The Sun) pic.twitter.com/EqbtVojBcw
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 18, 2024
Photos courtesy of Cover Images & Kensington Palace’s video, cover courtesy of People.
The Prince and Princess of Wales leave Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre after taking part in a SportsAid mental fitness workshop Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Marlow, United Kingbom When: 12 Oct 2023 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre to take part in a SportsAid mental fitness workshop Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales Where: Marlow, United Kingbom When: 12 Oct 2023 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK** 
The Prince and Princess of Wales leave Buckingham Palace, central London, on day one of the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
The Prince and Princess of Wales during the ceremonial welcome for President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, at Horse Guards Parade, central London, on day one of the state visit to the UK Featuring: William, Prince of Wales with Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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