King Charles and Kate, Princess of Wales, had a private lunch at Windsor Castle, during which they had a heart-to-heart following their recent cancer bombshells, it is claimed
King Charles and Princess of Wales had an “emotional” private lunch hours before Kate announced her cancer diagnosis to the public.
The monarch, 75, reportedly had a heart-to-heart with his daughter-in-law at Windsor Castle on Thursday. He travelled from London to the Berkshire town as, it is said, Kate was keen to speak to him following his diagnosis.
“It is highly unusual for just the two of them to sit down together like this. The King had already been made aware that the woman he calls ‘my beloved daughter-in-law’ had cancer… The King left his lunch feeling very emotional,” a source said.
It is understood Charles and Kate, 42, discussed her video announcement – which Kate had recorded the day previous – during their meeting at Windsor Castle. The future queen had said in the video, released on Friday, that the discovery was a “huge shock” but vowed she was “going to be OK”.
The source told The Sun: “They would have had lots to discuss and share because just weeks earlier the King had started his course of treatment and dealt with announcing his diagnosis… They are very close and he thinks of Catherine as his daughter.”
It is understood Charles had been made aware of Kate’s cancer struggle before he travelled from London for the lunch. Queen Camilla is also said to be a pillar of support and in regular contact with Kate.
Kate and William have stepped back from work for several weeks to be with their children George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five. Prince William won’t return to royal duties until after the Easter break, it is believed.
Well-wishers today began leaving flowers at Windsor Castle for Kate. Linda Boby travelled more than 100 miles west from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to express her support for the Royal Family, already rocked by King Charles’ cancer diagnosis.
She said: “It’s such a shock, she’s such a young lady and she deserves her privacy. I’m glad that she’s come out and said something so that can put everybody’s speculation to rest, and she can recover and be wonderful with her family, which is what she deserves, she deserves her space to do that.”
Ann Anderson, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, commended Kate’s announcement in the wake of “spiteful” speculation. The 75-year-old woman said: “I thought it was absolutely tremendous for her to do that on her own, how can you sit on a bench like that at that age and just talk about your health People shouldn’t have put her through that, it wasn’t necessary.
She added: “My heart goes out to her, my heart goes out to William, hasn’t he been through enough? He really doesn’t need any more.”
Clementine Black, a 49-year-old business consultant from Windsor, said: “It’s unbelievably upsetting that Kate has to come out and say this because of online speculation to be honest. I really feel sorry for her children, they’ll be affected the most, everyone has to remember that she’s a mother.”
