King Charles III has reportedly gotten closer to daughter-in-law Princess Kate Middleton amid their respective cancer battles.
“The King has always had a close, warm and unique relationship with the princess. She has a great love and respect for him and his position,” a source close to the king, 75, told The Sunday Times on Saturday, March 23. “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.”
Buckingham Palace confirmed in February that Charles had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, which was discovered after he underwent a corrective prostate procedure. The palace did not reveal if the king’s cancer is related to his prostate, but royal reporter Omid Scobie claimed it was not. As Charles receives treatment, he has limited his public appearances and only held a few audiences at the palace.
Kate, meanwhile, announced her own diagnosis one month later, also choosing not to share her type of cancer publicly.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” the Princess of Wales, 42, said in a video released by Kensington Palace on Friday, March 22. “The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”
She continued: “[Prince] William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.”
Kate and William, 41, share children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. They waited to publicly reveal Kate’s condition and treatment plans until they had a chance to tell their kids privately first.
After Kate revealed her cancer battle, Charles was among the first members of the royal family to publicly share his support.
“His Majesty is so proud of Catherine for her courage and speaking as she did. Following their time in hospital together, His Majesty has remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks,” Charles said in a Friday statement. “Both their Majesties [Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla] will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family throughout this difficult time.”
Kate and her family have since been “enormously touched” by thoughtful messages that they have received after disclosing her health struggles.
“The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’ message,” Kensington Palace said in a statement to Us on Saturday. “They are extremely moved by the public’s warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time.”
