Kate’s description of how she was forced to not only contemplate her own battle that lies ahead, but how she would summon the strength to tell her three young children is utterly heartbreaking.
Even in her darkest hour, the Princess of Wales issued a message of hope to others with the words “You are not alone”.
Anyone watching her calmly delivered and monumental statement on her devastating diagnosis, at the age of just 42, will be in awe of her bravery amid such a battle. For those who know her, or like me who have witnessed her work up close over the years, it will come of no surprise that her first thought is for her family and others.
Those who have suffered from this wretched disease, or lived through the experience of family members confronting such news, will identify with the overwhelming feeling of anguish not for themselves, but for their loved ones as they deliver the news. Kate’s description of how she was forced to not only contemplate her own battle that lies ahead, but how she would summon the strength to tell her three young children is utterly heartbreaking.
But once again and true to form, her overwhelming sense of protection for their wellbeing led to her reassuring them “I am going to be okay”. With a sharp intake of breath, the princess began her delivery by thanking the public for their messages of support since she was first admitted to hospital in January for abdominal surgery.
But with her admission that it had been “an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family”, one’s mind is directly brought to the cascade of outlandish and hurtful conspiracy theories that have been peddled by social media trolls around the world as she faced her battle in silence.
In an attempt to quell the madness that has existed in a truly unprecedented time and situation for the royal family, with the King’s own cancer diagnosis and Kate’s absence from royal life, Kensington Palace appealed for calm while hitting out at “the madness of social media”.
The clambering for information from so called social media sleuths, with their unformed and ill judged commentary, has been as outlandish and it is hurtful. Let us not forget that there is a young woman and mother at the centre of all of this, who even prior to her cancer diagnosis had been dealing with and recovering from major surgery, which had no doubt had a monumental effect on her life.
Those caught up in the gossip and innuendo of a woman’s private medical history may wish to take a long hard look at their conduct in recent times. As sources close to Kate and William have pointedly told me in recent days: “do these people not realise they are humans too?”
Although he will not wish for any sympathy given his wife’s struggle, Prince William also faces an unenviable time ahead. He had been putting on a brave face to fit in royal duties these past few weeks while contemplating his father’s cancer battle and now that of his beloved wife.
He will also need the strength and support of those around him as he seeks to create an air of normality for their young children, while also reflecting on this most extraordinary set of events in recent weeks.
Of course the Prince and Princess of Wales and the rest of the royal family acknowledge they are public figures, with great responsibility and dedication to duty to serve others, but they are not immune to the criticism received or speculation into their private lives that has exploded in the modern age.
Kate has also been reeling from the revelations, exposed this week in The Mirror centering on allegations that three trusted staff members at The London Clinic, where the princess was admitted to in January, attempted to access her private medical data.
The ongoing criminal investigation will deal with these claims and if proved any individuals can expect harsh sanctions. But in the midst of this anguish, for which Kate will have to summon all her strength, she will take great comfort from her family who have collectively vowed to fight the battle with her.
While talking of the collective devastation tonight being felt inside the palace, a royal source simply told me : “In their darkest times, they’ll pull together.”
