Kate Middleton’s cancer is Prince William’s biggest test: ‘Stressed’ heir to throne ‘doing his best’

For a couple whose favorite thing to do is binge a TV show with a takeout curry on the sofa, Prince William and Kate Middleton now find themselves at the center of a relentlessly grim royal news cycle — and a test like no other for the future king.

Although they are a heartbeat away from the throne, the Prince and Princess of Wales like to live quietly; they collect  Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, who will celebrate his 6th birthday on April 23 from school and spend evenings as a family at home at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

On the weekends, they go on long family walks with cocker spaniel Orla.

Kate Middleton bravely revealed she has an undisclosed form of cancer for which she has had preventative chemotherapy in an unprecedented insight into royal health. BBC Studios The 42-year-old spoke lovingly of her husband Prince William in the video address, which was released after weeks of speculation about her health. BBC Studios The short video message ends months of conspiracy theories and cruel online comments about the princess. She is not returning ti public duties while she continues to recover. BBC Studios

But Kate’s mysterious disappearance from the public eye after major abdominal surgery in January prompted weeks of cruel conspiracy theories that raced around the globe, given even more credence by celebrities like Stephen Colbert, who — falsely — accused William of having an affair with British aristocrat Rose Hanbury.

Finally, Kate, 42, revealed on Friday that she has cancer and has started grueling chemotherapy treatment.

Now her 41-year-old husband must support his wife — at the same time as aiding his father King Charles through the same illness.

And he must do it all without the help of his beloved mother, Princess Diana.

The prince and princess are putting the three children (from left) Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis first. The whole family was last seen in public going to church on Christmas day when Princess Anne’s granddaughter Mia Tindall walked in with them, hand-in-hand with her cousin Louis. Samir Hussein/WireImage The family was expected to be back at Windsor Chapel for Easter this year as they were in 2023 but are now pulling together to get through Kate’s horror diagnosis. Getty Images

In the space of a few months his life has changed irrevocably; the possibility of becoming King far sooner than he ever imagined now looms over him.

And underlying it all is a bitter estrangement from his brother Prince Harry, perhaps the only person on earth who in the past he could have looked to for help with his burden.

One well-placed Palace source told us, “William is doing his best, one minute he’s doing the school run and now he is under incredible stress.

“He is a heartbeat away from the throne and he has his beastly brother and all of this publicity floating around.”

The cancer diagnosis of his father King Charles was already a huge weight on Prince William and was just weeks before he learned of his wife’s condition. Royal Household/WPA Pool/Shutterstock Kate is extremely close to her father-in-law the king. But his illness is a huge strain on her husband who has to prepare for the tragic reality that the 20 years he thought he would have as prince of Wales might not happen. AP

When Kate addressed the world in a video filmed on the Windsor estate, she spoke far more publicly about royal health than any member of the family had ever done before. 

Revealing that she had been diagnosed after surgery and had preventative chemotherapy, then praising her husband’s support, she shone a light on their lives but also asked for “privacy” for her, her husband and children.

“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too,” she said. 

“We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment.”

The royal couple have become a far more relaxed presence in public over the years despite their closely-guarded privacy, with public displays of affection on engagements common in recent years. Getty Images The couple have also been playful on public engagements, such as at this soccer field in Belfast, Northern Ireland, offering a glimpse into a regular family life they want to keep off-limits. ZUMAPRESS.com

William’s desire for privacy, formed in the death of his mother in 1997 and undiminished in the years since, has been a key to his personality.

Although Prince Harry has always been outspoken about the media attention their mother came under, William has always been more quiet on the matter.

However, “He’s always hated the press because of what happened to his mother and has made it no secret,” said a Palace source, who said the heir to the throne can be acutely stubborn and not someone who is easy to push over.

The couple’s first met when they were freshmen at St Andrews University in Scotland and romance later blossomed. They celebrated graduating together and pictures of the occasion were released by her family to mark their wedding. EPA In 2010 they marked their engagement with official photographs which put on prominent display his mother Diana, Princess of Wales’ engagement ring. ZUMAPRESS.com

When the Wales camp at Kensington Palace were under immense pressure to say what was wrong with Kate as absurd conspiracy theories mushroomed, William held firm.

Top staffers were not even told what was wrong because William was so keen to protect his wife’s privacy, we are told.

Another Palace insider told us that William had been hit hard by accusations that he let his wife take the rap for the Photoshop Mother’s Day scandal.

“For everybody that was speculating, shame on them, no-one stopped to think that William was actually more concerned with looking after his wife and children,” said the insider.

The couple also posed for these photos at St James Palace when they announced their engagement. Getty Images They sealed their love in 2011 with a kiss on Buckingham Palace balcony after their wedding at Westminster Abbey. Michael Dunlea / Barcroft Media

The insider said those inside Kensington Palace were also especially furious at Colbert’s jokes about William and an alleged affair at such a difficult time.

“He owes them a massive apology, it’s appalling,” said the insider.

The extent of his wife’s illness was only hinted at when William had to pull out of his godfather King Constantine’s memorial on February 28 with just 45 minutes notice — with officials saying it was “for a personal reason.”

It was all the more eyebrow-raising because the service was being held at St George’s Chapel — just minutes from his Windsor home — and William was set to give a reading.

Prince William and his wife made a point of the official christening portraits for Prince George featuring his wife’s family in equal status with his own. ap The couple opted for a more informal setting for Princess Charlotte’s christening, pushing the baby carriage themselves to church at Sandringham, and showing off their baby to William’s grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and his stepmom Camilla Parker-Bowles. Shutterstock

In fact, sources now confirm, William was by his wife’s side amid her newly-delivered cancer diagnosis.

Balancing the public nature of being royal with their desire to be private has never been easy to William and Kate, who met as teens at St. Andrews University in Scotland.

Famously, William was enraptured by his future wife when he saw her modeling in skimpy nightwear in a fashion show.

William said they were friends for a year before they started dating when things started “to blossom.”

The cancer crisis comes less than a year after King Charles’ coronation which showed a new and slimmed-down royal family. Prince William’s leadership is now crucial to the institution, sources say. Samir Hussein/WireImage The couple’s glamor is a key part of the royal family’s popular appeal but for now their engagements are on hold while Kate recovers. Getty Images

Although they kept their romance under wraps Kate was thrust into the spotlight when they were first photographed during a ski trip to Klosters, Switzerland, the royals’ favorite vacation spot, in 2004.

And Kate got a glimpse of what was in store for her when the press nicknamed her “Waity Katie” as the couple did not get engaged until 2010, following a brief split in 2007.

William proposed in Kenya with his late mother’s iconic diamond and 18-carat sapphire engagement ring.

“There’s a true romantic in there,” Kate joked during their engagement interview.

William was more serious. “Obviously, she’s not going to be around to share in all the fun and excitement, so this is my way of keeping her close to it all,” he said of Diana.

The prince is expected to resume some public appearances after the Easter vacation their children are on but his wife expected to continue recovering, meaning he will be solo on engagements such as this visit to a military training center. Getty Images The couple are known to the public for their glamor but in private they prefer to binge-watch TV on the sofa eating a curry with their children. Getty Images

They wed, watched by a global audience of 2 billion at Westminster Abbey in London in April 2011, but quickly did their best to stay out of the spotlight, with the Prince working as a helicopter pilot for Britain’s emergency rescue service before fully entering public duties.

But just how key he and his wife are to the future of the monarchy has been unmistakable for years and was only reinforced by his father King Charles’ “slimmed-down” monarchy.

It was put on display at the king’s coronation last May, when Prince Andrew, disgraced by scandal, and Prince Harry, self-exiled to Montecito, California, were not on Buckingham Palace’s balcony to thank the king’s subjects for their support.

Overhanging this royal crisis is Prince William’s lost of his mother Diana, Prince of Wales, whose death in 1997 deprived him of the extra support he would need now. UK Press via Getty Images

At the time Prince William hoped he had about 20 years before he became King, multiple sources told Page Six.

But this year has entirely changed that calculus and William is now in a sprint to be ready for an event which he had hoped was far in the distance: the moment he is first addressed as “Your Majesty.”

Shortly before Kate’s diagnosis, the couple hired two new aides. 

One is Ian Patrick, who will be his private secretary — his most important advisor and staffer — after a career as a British diplomat and a business consultant.

The other aspect of the royal crisis is the estrangement between Prince William and his brother Prince Harry and between their two wives. The couples last spent time together when Queen Elizabeth died, and their frosty public demeanor hinted at the tensions between them. ZUMAPRESS.com

Kate too has a new private secretary, Lieutenant Colonel Tom White. Notably he was an aide to the late Queen Elizabeth, who was close to Kate.

“They’re great guys,” said a Palace insider.

And with the relentless logic of monarchy, Page Six has learned that plans are already well underway for the funeral of his father, the king, and of Queen Camilla.

The British royal family is dependent on Prince William for its future, but when his father wad crowned in 2023, he thought it might be 20 years before he acceded to the throne. Now he is preparing for that to be much sooner. KCS Presse / MEGA

The late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral plans, known as Operation London Bridge had been burnished by courtiers for decades. 

There was also a plan for Charles when he was prince of Wales called Menai Bridge — a reference to a span in the principality — and now Buckingham Palace and the British Government are in advanced planning for the vast public spectacle of another royal funeral.

One senior Government source told us, “I know multiple meetings have been held to update the Bridge plans.

“There have been meetings with the King and Queen, because they have to sign off on the plans.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales like to drop off and pick up their children from school and must now rely on that closely-built family to help them through a test like no other for the royal family. REUTERS

For now those serious preparations will proceed without William’s involvement while he is at Kate’s side.

So too will events in the royal calendar: the Waleses will not be at the traditional Windsor Chapel Easter service.

Kate has the comfort of having her mother and father, Carole and Mike Middleton living nearby, as does her sister Pippa and her husband James Matthew and their three young children.

As she said, “At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.”