Princess Kate opened up about her cancer diagnosis in a video released on Friday, prompting a surge in the number of people visiting NHS websites related to cancer checks
Brits have rushed to find out more about their own chances of getting cancer following the Princess of Wales’ diagnosis announcement.
NHS leaders and charities have praised Kate’s bravery after her video message sparked a huge surge in visitors to their web pages containing information on symptoms and how to get cancer support. Health bosses and charities have praised Kate for speaking about her cancer, saying it could save lives after encouraging others to check for symptoms.
In the 24 hours after the princess revealed she was having chemotherapy, there were 2,840 visits to the NHS page on cancer, almost five times the 600 visits in the same period the previous week. And over the weekend, there were 100,000 visits to the Macmillan Cancer Support site.
NHS England cancer director Prof Peter Johnson said: “The Princess of Wales bravely speaking out about her diagnosis will help others do the same. Thanks to this, we have seen a spike in people visiting vital information on our site about signs and symptoms. Talking about cancer saves lives if it encourages people to come forward sooner if things aren’t right.”
There was also a huge surge in views on the NHS cancer symptoms page, with 4,172 visits in the three hours after Kate’s video announcement on Friday – about one every three seconds – up from 1,922 in the previous week. Macmillan Cancer Support said traffic to its support pages was the highest it had been at a weekend since the first lockdown in March 2020, with close to 100,000 visits by the end of Sunday – a 10% increase on the same period last year.
Gemma Peters, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “In sharing her news the Princess of Wales has raised awareness… and will be helping to encourage others who have concerns, to visit their GP and seek support.”
Kate’s cancer was detected after she had “major abdominal surgery” in January. It emerged yesterday that she was inspired to make a public statement on her diagnosis by the “overwhelmingly positive” reaction to the King’s announcement about his own cancer last month.
Royal sources said Kate decided to record her video two weeks ago. Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson who has been diagnosed with breast and skin cancer in the last year, praised Kate for speaking of her diagnosis.
Fergie, who has had the all-clear, said: “As someone who has faced their own battles with cancer in recent months, I am full of admiration for the way she has spoken publicly about her diagnosis and know it will do a tremendous amount of good to raise awareness.”
