It was claimed that Princess Kate decided a fortnight ago to make her emotional video statement revealing her cancer diagnosis to help protect her children if they were questioned at school.
The Princess of Wales is said to have made the decision as she faced intense speculation on social media following the Photoshopping of a family photo posted on Mother’s Day.
Kate always intended to wait until her children’s school finished on Easter Friday to make her health public, it was suggested.
The princess revealed in a video posted on Friday night that she was diagnosed with cancer last month, after spending a fortnight at the private London clinic for abdominal surgery in January.
She and her husband, Prince William, have said they are “extremely moved” by the outpouring of goodwill from around the world since her shock announcement.
The Princess of Wales revealed that she had cancer in an emotional video released last Friday
A photo of Kate and her three children was shared online on Mother’s Day two weeks ago.
William and Kate are shown here arriving at St David’s Cathedral in Haverfordwest, Wales, on September 8 for a service commemorating the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Harry and Meghan also reached out after finding out the princess was receiving cancer treatment.
Kate is now on what has been described as a “road to recovery” after beginning chemotherapy treatment at the end of February.
A friend said she wrote her cancer battle message “alone, very quickly”, while Kate has also been described as a “lynchpin” of her family whose priority is always her children.
And further details about the preparations for Friday’s announcement were suggested today on BBC1’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.
Sun editor Victoria Newton told the program that the timing deliberately coincided with the last day at Lambrook School in Berkshire before the Easter holidays for Kate’s three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte , eight years old, and Prince Louis, five.
She said: “Actually, as I understand it, the princess made the decision two weeks ago to make this public statement.”
‘The key for her as a mother, the priority was to protect those three children.
‘She didn’t want them to go to school, because they asked her even more than they already did.
‘They were already being affected at school, so it was always their plan to wait until the last day of term.
“They’ve obviously endured an incredible amount of speculation on social media which has been very difficult for them to deal with, but the priority for her has always been those children.”
Kate was seen with her family attending church in Sandringham on Christmas Day last year.
Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Kate on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 5, 2022, alongside the late Queen Elizabeth II
The princess had said in her video message: “The most important thing is that it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay.”
Friends have described her as a “lynchpin” of the family and also said she and William were “fantastic parents” and “committed to giving the children the happiest and healthiest upbringing possible,” she said. Telegraph reported.
And a former press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth II praised Kate for being “perfect” in her “brave, powerful and dignified” statement about her diagnosis.
Simon Lewis, who handled the media on Elizabeth’s behalf in 1998, said the princess had “broken new ground” by going public with her health and described her video statement as “hugely authentic”.
A photograph of Kate smiling with her three children was shared online on Mother’s Day, March 10.
The princess followed up with an apology the following day, admitting that she edited the image using Photoshop after international agencies such as the Press Association and Reuters removed it from their feeds.
The furor came amid much online speculation, including conspiracy theories, about Kate’s health, before she spoke out to clarify her diagnosis.
Lewis told Times Radio today: “Kensington Palace made the decision, particularly after the photograph that emerged and was misinterpreted by some, that they had to do something at the right time.”
‘People didn’t realize how much scrutiny there was going to be on that one photograph.
William and Kate were seen leaving Windsor together while being driven around in a car on March 11.
William and Kate have been described by friends as “fantastic parents” to their three children.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, pictured here at Fitzalan High School in Cardiff last October, thanked the public for their support following the news of his cancer treatment.
“And what we don’t know, of course, is where they came to communicate this news to their children.”
The cancer diagnosis has been revealed as the reason William withdrew from attending a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece, his godfather, on February 27.
Kate spent a fortnight at the London Clinic after being admitted on January 16 for abdominal surgery.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited his neighborhood on January 26 before Charles, 75, himself underwent surgery for benign prostate cancer and was later diagnosed with cancer, for which he has been receiving treatment ever since.
In a statement issued on behalf of the King on Friday evening, Buckingham Palace said: “Her Majesty is “very proud of Catherine for her bravery in speaking out as she did.”
‘Following their stay together in hospital, HM “has remained in close contact with his beloved daughter-in-law over the past few weeks.”
‘Both Their Majesties “will continue to offer their love and support to the entire family at this difficult time.”‘
His words came after Kate posted a video message recorded last Wednesday in Windsor, which said: “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time my condition was thought to be non-cancerous.”
‘The surgery was a success. However, tests after the operation found that there was cancer.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have said they are “very proud” of their daughter-in-law Kate
King Charles greets Kate during an event at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2021
‘Therefore, my medical team recommended that I undergo preventive chemotherapy treatment and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.
“This, of course, came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing our best to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time.”
Kate has rarely been seen in public since attending church at Sandringham in Norfolk on Christmas Day last year, although a member of the public filmed her and William after visiting a farm shop earlier this month.
The couple was also photographed being driven from Windsor on March 11 before the prince attended a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in central London and Kate attended a private appointment.