Kate Middleton Shares Shock Cancer Diagnosis
On March 22nd, the Princess of Wales shared a video explanation of why she had been out of the spotlight for over two months following a "planned abdominal surgery." Fans had been speculating for weeks, with crazy rumors making headlines. Some fans guessed she was getting a hysterectomy, others claimed Prince William cheated on her and she went into hiding, and others accused her of creating a coverup for something even bigger going on. But the Princess put all these rumors to rest in her video announcement.
"In January," she said in the video, "I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful, however tests after the operation found cancer had been present."
The mother-of-three explained in the video that she is in the early stages of chemotherapy treatment, and gently but firmly requested privacy as she continues her treatment.
Kate Middleton And Prince William Were Reportedly Worried That Harry And Meghan Would 'Leak' Cancer News
While it's safe to assume that her immediate family as well as King Charles and Queen Camilla were in the know of what was going on, it seems as though a line was drawn in the sand after that. Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly found out with the rest of the world, by watching the video that she released.
Following Kate's announcement, Harry and Meghan did in fact release a statement wishing her "health and healing" and said that they hope Kate and her family have the space to handle the news "privately and in peace."
A source close to the family told People that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were "left out of any details regarding Kate's diagnosis" because there is clearly no trust. A separate source told The Mirror this was purposeful, because it would mean "less of a risk the couple might leak the information themselves."
Insiders Say 'The Trust Is Broken'
Royal historian Richard Fitzwilliams weighed in with his thoughts on this development: "It speaks volumes that Harry and Meghan learnt of the diagnosis from the news," he said. "The brothers reportedly haven't been in contact for months and trust has completely broken down."
This echoes what another insider told the New York Post in an article that was published on March 22nd. "They had no idea, and only learned of the news around the same time the rest of the world found out," said the source, adding: "This goes to show the irreparable damage they have caused. The trust has been broken and the royal family is OK distancing themselves from them."
Internet Reactions
There were predictably a lot of comments online following the news that Prince Harry and Meghan were not aware of Kate's cancer diagnosis prior to her video. "They chose not to be a part of the family. Such sensitive information was initially shared only with family. They are being treated as they asked to be," wrote one reader in The New York Post's comments section. "Cannot be trusted. What do they expect at this point? Seriously?" asked another, as a third said: "Harry and Meghan have proven they are neither trustworthy or loyal; hence, they should not expect information or intimate details to be forthcoming."
"Why, in the name of all that is decent and moral, would the Sussex gang think they would be entrusted with confidential information? It was Catherine's right to announce her condition when she and her young family were as prepared as possible for the public release of information," commented another. "Anything shared with the Sussex crew would have been blabbed to the world as soon as possible and they would have found a way to try to make it all about them. Although now, it's all about them being victims because they weren't told. Can't win with that nasty bunch," they added.
"In what universe would The Royal Family think they could trust Harry & his wife? They have monetarily profited in every single area & are more than willing to tell the tea. The Royal Family needed time to adjust to this crisis & absolutely did the right thing in not telling them," noted another reader. "Why would Harry and Meghan be trusted with this information? It would have been sold to the highest bidder if they knew ahead of Catherine's statement release," speculated another.