After weeks of intense speculation, the UK was on Saturday grappling with the surprising revelation that Catherine, Princess of Wales, has cancer, with many applauding her courage and others condemning those who spread conspiracies.
Catherine revealed the news on Friday in a highly personal video, which came just weeks after King Charles III revealed he too is battling the disease.
The candid disclosure leaves the British monarchy in an unprecedented crisis in modern times with two of its most senior members simultaneously fighting serious illness.
Head of state Charles, 17 months into his reign when Buckingham Palace announced in February that he had cancer and would be canceling all public engagements, led tributes to his “beloved daughter-in-law”.
The ailing 75-year-old monarch spoke of his pride in “her courage in speaking as she did,” shortly after Kensington Palace posted the video on social media.
Following other warm words from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the White House, British newspapers directly quoted Kate on their Saturday front covers while also praising her “courage” on the inside pages.
“Kate, you are not alone” read the front of The Sun.
In her statement Kate, as the 42-year-old is widely known, admitted the diagnosis was a “huge shock” and asked for “time, space and privacy” as she completes chemotherapy for her unspecified cancer.
In the video, recorded Wednesday in Windsor, west of London, where the future queen and king live with their three young children, she insisted she was “well”.
