Kate Middleton was sitting alone on a bench outdoors on March 22 when she revealed she had cancer. Obviously, this is an intentional choice.
Palace sources told People magazine that the princess "wanted to deliver the message personally" because of her health. The royal insider added that despite Prince William's absence from the video, he was "supportive of her throughout."
In a 2-minute video posted to the Kensington Royal X account (formerly Twitter), the senior royal said she was diagnosed with cancer following planned abdominal surgery in January.
"My condition was not thought to be cancer. However, tests after surgery revealed that cancer was present," said Middleton, whose public absence sparked intense speculation online.
The unnamed source added to People : "William is extremely proud of his wife for the courage and strength she has shown not only this week, but since her surgery in January." Now more than ever, he is focused on ensuring his wife has the privacy she needs to fully recover and that his children do not take an understandable interest in the news being shared."
"She and the prince will need time to digest the news," the source added. "She needed time to recover from the surgery and time to tell her children. That was the driving force."
In her video message, Middleton explained how she and William wanted to deal with the diagnosis privately for the sake of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
After revealing their diagnosis, the Prince and Princess of Wales received an outpouring of support, including from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who said in a statement that they "wishe Kate and the family a healthy recovery."
On March 23, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said that Middleton and Prince William were "extremely touched by the public's enthusiasm and support and appreciate the understanding of their privacy request at this time."
