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The Princess of Wales spoke of the ‘huge shock’ of being diagnosed with cancer in an emotional video, but if there’s one person who can relate to what she’s going through it’s her father-in-law King Charles.
The monarch, who announced his own cancer diagnosis in January, shares a close bond with his older son’s wife, and will no doubt be keen to lend his support to Kate, who announced she is having ‘preventative chemotherapy’.
Sharing Charles’ reaction to the shocking news, Buckingham Palace said: ‘His Majesty is ”so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did”.
‘Following their time in hospital together, HM has ”remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks”.
‘Both Their Majesties ”will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time”.’
The close relationship with Kate was already in evidence when Charles and Camilla visited Kate at The London Clinic while she was recovering from abdominal surgery earlier this year.
While it’s clear from photos how much he cares for his daughter-in-law, King Charles made it even more explicit during a speech he gave in Nairobi (pictured L-R: then-Prince Charles and Kate Middleton at the World premiere of No Time To Die in London, September 2021)
The Princess of Wales spoke of the ‘huge shock’ of being diagnosed with cancer in an emotional video
Although the monarch was receiving treatment at the same hospital himself, it was still an unusual break with royal tradition and his late mother, for instance, would not typically visit her husband Prince Philip’s bedside and vice versa.
It was a testament to how close the King is to his daughter-in-law, who he’s bonded with over their shared love of art.
The King reportedly thinks she is doing a ‘wonderful’ job bringing up George, Charlotte and Louis, and now gets to spend more time with his son’s family now they live just a few minutes drive away from Windsor Castle.
Indeed, the King gave an insight into the high regard he has for Kate when he sweetly mentioned the Prince and Princess of Wales in his keynote speech at a state banquet in Nairobi.
King Charles, 74, who has been accompanied by Queen Camilla, recalled Prince William and Kate’s 2010 engagement in Kenya.
He said: ‘It was here, in sight of Mount Kenya, that my son, The Prince of Wales, proposed to his wife, now my beloved daughter-in-law.’
Prince William proposed to his then long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton in October 2010 in a log cabin while on safari at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, where he had spent part of his gap year almost a decade before.
Kate is known to have a warm relationship with her father-in-law and has reportedly helped smooth the sometimes fractious relationship between the King and his son, William.
King Charles and Kate have also shown several public signs of their close relationship over the past few years.
The then-Duchess of Cambridge and Prince of Wales have been snapped sharing a chuckle on a number of occasions, including during this event at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Stanford Hall in Loughborough in February 2020
Images showing the closeness, such as this photo from the service of thanksgiving for the Queen at St Paul’s cathedral on June 2022 make it clear why Charles has several times said that the family is ‘lucky’ to have Kate
For instance, the Princess of Wales lovingly called her father-in-law by his family nickname of ‘grandpa’ when she greeted him at a G7 reception in 2021.
Meanwhile, in April 2021, the then Duchess of Cambridge shared a kiss on the cheek with her grief-stricken father-in-law as they left Prince Philip’s funeral.
Kate consoled Charles as the pair walked out of St George’s Chapel following the emotional service in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh.
Photographs show Kate comforting the then Prince of Wales over the loss of his father by putting her hand on his shoulder. She then kissed him on the cheek as they set off from the entrance of the chapel.
Elsewhere, when greeting one another at engagements, Kate and the King will often share a friendly embrace and pecks on the cheeks.
Kate’s willingness to get stuck into any task means she has become a well-liked member of Thr Firm – with family members as well as the public! (Pictured trying to iron artwork onto silk during a visit to the Dulwich Picture Gallery in March 2012)
At Wililam and Kate’s wedding, the then Prince Charles movingly described his son’s new wife as the daughter he had never had during the speech and admitted: ‘We are lucky to have her.’
In a touching speech, the clearly emotional prince paid tribute to his new daughter-in-law – but still found time to crack jokes about his eldest son and his famously thinning hairline.
Charles chose to say a few off-the-cuff words as he toasted the newlyweds at a Buckingham Palace champagne reception thrown by the Queen for 650 guests and wished the couple a long and happy life together.
Marking his first address as the King, Charles was full of emotional pride for his son and daughter and law as he handed his and Camilla’s old titles to them.
‘As my Heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me,’ the royal said.
‘He succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and takes on the responsibilities for the Duchy of Cornwall which I have undertaken for more than five decades.
‘Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty.
‘With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.’
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