8 months ago
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Before I get into this week’s Us Weekly cover story, let’s talk about how the Times of London sort of buried this interesting and exclusive information in a story about a cancer charity. The point of this Times piece was to point out that, following the Princess of Wales’s Friday video in which she revealed her cancer diagnosis, a British cancer charity got a lot of emails and support. Then, within the article, the Times noted:
Both the prince and princess are understood to be extremely grateful and enormously touched by the support from the public. Royal sources added that Prince William was “extremely proud” of the courage and strength that his wife had shown, not just in the past week but throughout her ill health.
William was not present during the filming of Kate’s clip, as it is understood that the princess wanted to record it on her own. However, insiders said that she believed her recovery has been enormously helped by the daily support of her husband.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The prince will continue to balance supporting his wife and family and maintaining his official duties as he has done since the start of the year.”
Well, according to TikTok, it’s doubtful Kate was even present during the making of the video, so there. But for argument’s sake, let’s say Kate really did sit somewhere and film this. It wasn’t just that William didn’t sit with her in the video, holding her hand as she told the world what had been happening to her over the past three months. It’s that William wasn’t even present in the background, to give her a hug after her emotional speech. He was in the wind during one of the most emotional and stressful moments of his wife’s life. That’s really weird and bad. As for the Us Weekly cover story, here are the basics:
Kate’s message finally put months of speculation to bed. Though Kensington Palace had announced she wouldn’t return to her royal duties until after Easter, the rumor mill went into overdrive during her public absence. Conspiracy theories — and talk that Kate and William, 41, were having marital issues — ran rampant and only amplified when Kate released a digitally altered photo on March 10, U.K. Mother’s Day. (She later apologized for experimenting with photo editing.)
All the while, the couple was privately reeling. “Kate was shocked when they found the cancer and in shock for a while after,” says the source, adding that the princess and William “were not ready for the diagnosis.” The couple has been trying to process the news in their own time. “The day the family found out was the day William canceled going to the memorial of his godfather King Constantine of Greece,” shares a second source. (On February 27, William pulled out of the service at the last minute due to a “personal matter.”)
Kate is leaning on William more than ever. “William is trying to be there for Kate and helping in every way he can,” says the first source. “He’s been doing schoolwork with the kids and spending time with them in the afternoons and evenings.” While the couple have employed Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo as their nanny since 2014, Kate and William are involved in every aspect of the kids’ lives. According to the source, the children are coping as well as can be expected. “They know their mother is sick and is trying to get better,” says the source.
It hasn’t been easy for the future king. The source says William feels “helpless and scared” and has been asking other members of the family to fill in for him so he can be present at home. It can be a tough ask as the royals are stretched thin lately: In early February, Buckingham Palace announced that William’s father, King Charles III, 75, was receiving treatment for cancer following a planned procedure for an enlarged prostate; Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, 76, has also been picking up the slack for her ailing husband.
I might have bought the whole “William feels helpless and scared” theory if not for the fact that Kensington Palace dropped the video on Friday and has spent a good four days briefing about how much William hates his brother. The fact that the Sussexes simply made a public statement of support for Kate sent William on some kind of hate-spiral where he’s seemingly making everything about Harry. Also: remember when King Charles first announced his cancer diagnosis and Harry immediately flew to London to see his dad? Something very similar happened with William: he could not STFU about how much he hates Harry, how he never wants to see Harry, how Harry better not try to talk to him. Maybe William’s stress response to a family member’s cancer diagnosis is to “seethe about Harry.” Because it doesn’t seem like William’s response is to actually support his family members. At all.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace. Cover courtesy of Us Weekly.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall while in Cornwall, during a visit to the Dracaena Centre in Cornwall, to learn about the wide variety of support and services that the organisation provides to local people, with a mission of building a healthy, happy and mutually supportive society. Picture date: Thursday February 9, 2023. Located between Falmouth and Penryn, the centre serves both towns and the surrounding rural area. It has been in operation since 2008 and supports around 10,000 people a year.,Image: 755039780, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales reacts after arriving for a St David’s Day parade with members of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards in Windsor England, Wednesday, March 1, 2023.,Image: 759474037, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon
Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales sit for an official photo with The Prince of Wales’s company at a St David’s Day parade with members of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards in Windsor England, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. It is the first time The Prince has visited the Welsh Guards since becoming Colonel of the Regiment.,Image: 759474294, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Alastair Grant / Avalon
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Hayes Muslim Centre on Thursday 9th March and thanked those involved in the aid effort and those who have fundraised to help communities affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.,Image: 761525535, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon
The Prince of Wales during a visit to The Rectory, Birmingham, to meet future leaders and local business owners from Birmingham’s creative industries sector.,Image: 770749872, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Jacob King / Avalon
