Nation rallies to support Princess of Wales as she battles cancer

Britain has united to rally in support for the Princess of Wales after she bravely revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer – telling her: ‘We’re all behind you.’

Celebrities, social media influencers, newsreaders and members of the public – including many outside Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace – offered messages of goodwill after Kate announced her diagnosis in a video message. 

A common theme of the tributes has been the encouraging salute, ‘You’ve got this’, as 42-year-old Kate spoke of assuring her children she was going to be ‘OK’ – after admirers broke down in tears last night as they learnt the news.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden have been among those sending best wishes, while King Charles said he was ‘so proud’ of his daughter-in-law for her bravery.

Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton have come to her aid and there have been messages from her siblings Pippa Matthews and James Middleton.

Prince Harry and Meghan have also both contacted his brother William and Kate after finding out the princess has been having treatment for cancer.

Andrea Burns, an American living in London, walked up to Kensington Palace specifically for Kate while her son was playing football in nearby Hyde Park.

She said: ‘Obviously a shock and my heart breaks for her and I can’t imagine what its been like for her, having the major surgery which is pretty serious.

‘I just can’t imagine what the time was like of her to be dealing with and to find out the dreaded result it was cancer, but it does sound like early stages and they caught it in time.

‘I cannot imagine the love and support this wonderful, courageous, strong, brave, elegant, graceful person is going to receive in the coming days weeks, months and years.

‘She is poised, she is thoughtful – she spoke to other cancer patients and her kind words to them at a time when she is dealing with cancer just speaks to the person she is and she is an example toe everyone going through challenges in life.

‘You go through it privately and you pull it together and you move on the best you can – she’s remarkable and she’s proved it once again.’ 

Julia, 22, from Catalonia in Spain, said: ‘Yesterday we were travelling when we heard the news and we were so sad.

‘We don’t follow the royal family but knowing the history with Di it was so sad to hear another princess having an illness.

‘We just want to be supportive of the royal family in this moment when we got here – it’s impressive how the royal family has an impact on your daily life here and it’s had an impact on our trip.’

Another visitor, 23-year-old Tomaso from Italy, said: ‘I was shocked when I read the news of Kate and I hope she will find a way to have the best recovery and she comes back safe and better than before. I pray for her from Italy.’

Meanwhile, Sarah from California said: ‘We were very sad to hear the recent news our heartfelt best wishes go out to her and her family. Everyone’s here to pay their respects.’ 

Her partner Mark added: ‘We’ve had cancer in our family and we know how it is when you’re battling with that by itself so all the best and blessings to Kate and her family.

‘We were shocked, to think this is where she spends time. We hope those times for her are healing going forward.

‘She’s super healthy, it seems, so with the help of her family and your great medicine I’m sure she’ll recover.’

Outside Buckingham Palace today, well-wishers gave Kate message of support.

British families, England football fans and foreign tourists all offered their sympathies to the Royal Family and hopes for a speedy recovery.

The Lee family from Middlesborough told of their shock and surprise.

Nurse Amy Lee, 38, told MailOnline: ‘The news that Kate has cancer came as a real shock. We all hope she makes a speedy recovery and gets well soon.’

American tourists Brandi Stalloworth and Jasminn Abner from Michigan said they would pray for the Princess.

Brandi, 33, a nurse, told MailOnline: ‘It is so sad to here that the Pprincess has cancer. We are praying that she will get healed.

‘I hope that Jesus can take her into his care and make her right again. We are all praying for her and her family.’

Jasminn, 31, a postal worker, added: ‘We heard about the princess ill health last night. We are praying for her and family. They are so nice.’

England football fan Mark Breeze told how he and his two sons had stopped off at Buckingham Palace on their way to Wembley to watch England take on Brazil to offer their support.

Mark, 39, an engineer from Leicester, said: ‘It’s so sad. But unfortunately, cancer affects almost every family. We just hope she gets well soon.’

Friends Debbie Bates and Jacqueline Clark from Lincolnshire told of their shock following the announcement.

Ms Bates, 60, told MailOnline: ‘It’s so sad. The news came as a complete shock. Now there are three members of the royal family with cancer – King Charles, Fergie and now Kate. It’s so awful. I just hope that she gets well soon.’

Ms Clark, 51, added: ‘It was such a nasty surprise. I hope Kate can be given the time to get well in peace.’

Phusita Rampton, a mother from Hereford, told how she had only just learned of the diagnosis.

She said: ‘We really like the Royal Family. I have only just heard that Princess Katherine is not unwell.

‘I am so sorry that she has cancer. I really hope she gets well soon.’

People visiting Windsor Castle have spoken of their ‘shock’ after the announcement.

Well-wishers went to the Berkshire town this morning and many expressed hope that Kate’s video message will end recent online speculation about her.

Linda Boby, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, 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.

‘I’m just so shocked because she’s so young and really they’ve had to keep it to themselves to be able to digest it for their own sake before they can come out and say something.

‘She’s got to consider the children as well, they’re so young and hopefully she’ll be on the mend.’

Ann Anderson, from Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, commended Kate’s announcement in the wake of ‘spiteful’ speculation.

The 75-year-old 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.’

Windsor local Clementine Black, 49, a business consultant, 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.’

Tourists from across the world were also among those outside Windsor Castle after Friday’s announcement.

Mario Baptista, 73, from Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, said: ‘I watched the video on television yesterday.

‘I was really sorry to find out that she has a serious health issue.

‘I was relieved, there was some sort of secrecy about what the problem was over the last few months. We hope she recovers swiftly, we’re rooting for her.’

Others have been posting messages of support online. 

Leah Totton, a former winner of BBC show The Apprentice, posted online: ‘Thoughts with The Princess of Wales.

‘Very brave to come out with this statement while undergoing SO much. Stay strong, you’ve got this Kate.’

Other comments on X have included ‘To our future Queen Kate – you’ve got this’, ‘Take your time and get well soon’ and ‘Stay strong, Lioness’.

A royal family fan posted: ‘You are not alone Catherine. You are loved and cherished by your children, your husband, your family and this whole nation.

‘We are here for you and for William, George, Charlotte and Louis. Sending healing vibes.’

Another wrote: ‘We are sending our deepest prayers to the Princess of Wales and her family during this time.

‘Hoping and praying that our beloved Princess of Wales has a speedy recovery.’

Victoire Romy posted: ‘Imagine having your explain this to little Louis! Thinking of all the mummy’s out there who have been on this awful journey! You’re brave & inspirational #PrincessCatherine.’

And people speaking on the streets told of their shock and sadness at Kate’s plight.

One woman appeared to be wiping a tear from her eyes as she was looking at her phone as the news broke.

Another said the news was ‘incredibly sad’, adding: ‘Whenever anybody gets cancer it’s a horrible thing to hear and I can only imagine what her family is going through right now.’

Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Jamie Lee Curtis wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Now Princess Kate has told us about her health we should send nothing but our best wishes to her and her family.’

The star, who won the Academy Award for best supporting actress last year, had previously urged people to call off conspiracy theories about Kate’s whereabouts.

Fellow Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow responded to Kate’s video announcement by posting on Instagram: ‘A pillar of grace and strength – stay strong.’ 

Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, who won best supporting actress at the 2003 Oscars for Chicago, shared a picture of the Princess of Wales on Instagram.

She accompanied the photo with the message: ‘Wales and the world is with you HRH Princess of Wales. Love to you always.’ 

ITV newsreader and former I’m A Celebrity contestant Charlene White said of Kate’s announcement: ‘I’m sure those are words that can resonate with many people who are also dealing with cancer diagnosis at the moment.

‘This is a huge shock, not just for Kate and her family, but for the country as well.’

The princess is now on what has been described as a ‘recovery pathway’ having commenced a course of chemotherapy in late February.

It is for this reason that William pulled out of a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece.

Kate spent a fortnight at the London Clinic after being admitted on January 16 for abdominal surgery.

King Charles and Queen Camilla visited her ward on January 26 before Charles himself underwent an operation for a benign prostate cancer condition – and was later diagnosed with cancer, for which he has been receiving treatment since. 

In a statement released on his behalf last night, Buckingham Palace said: ‘His Majesty is ‘so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did’.

‘Following their time in hospital together, HM has ‘remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks’.

‘Both Their Majesties ‘will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time’.’

Their words came after Kate released a video message recorded on Wednesday at Windsor, saying: ‘In January, 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.

‘My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

‘This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time.’