The Princess of Wales experienced a turbulent year before being diagnosed with cancer.
Kate Middleton, 42, is undergoing ‘preventative chemotherapy’, it has been announced, after tests following her successful abdominal surgery in January found traces of cancer. The mother-of-three has taken time out of the public eye over the last few months to recover from her major operation, in order to start her treatment for cancer.
In an emotional and heartfelt televised statement to the world confirming her diagnosis, recorded in Windsor on Wednesday, Kate spoke of “an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family” and how the news came as a “shock”. Here, the Mirror takes a look back at the 12 rollercoaster months the Wales family has faced.
Prince Harry ‘feud’
Just last year, Kate turned 41 in January – her first birthday as Princess of Wales – just one day before Prince Harry’s controversial memoir Spare hits shelves. And when the book finally did come out, it became clear Harry hadn’t held back when it came to his sister-in-law.
In the book and in several interviews to promote it, he accused Kate of “stereotyping” his wife Meghan Markle, saying her behaviour created a barrier. He shared details of a row over bridesmaids’ dresses at the time of his wedding, which left Meghan in tears. He also said Kate asked for an apology from Meghan after she accused her of having “baby brain” following the birth of Prince Louis and claimed Kate ‘grimaced’ when Meghan borrowed her lipgloss.
Royal expert Jennie Bond claimed Kate was hurt and insulted by the attacks by Harry and Meghan – and it’s unlikely their feud will be fixed any time soon. Speaking to OK!, she said: “When you come from a happy, united family – as Catherine does – it’s incredibly hard to understand how people can become estranged.
“I think she believed the rift could be fixed and, after Prince Philip‘s funeral, we saw her talking with Harry and obviously encouraging William to do the same. But we now know that it didn’t work. In fact, William and Harry had a blazing row right after the funeral. There comes a point when you just have to accept that happy families are not a game that everyone can play.
“Catherine has been hurt and insulted by things that Harry and Meghan have said, but she and William are a very strong team, and I suspect that, together, they’ve come to the conclusion that the rift with Harry cannot be fixed in the foreseeable future. They’ve closed their minds to that possibility and decided to get on with their lives.”
Family money woes
There was no respite after the Coronation as Kate helped to support her mum Carole in May after she was forced to sell her business due to facing challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. Party Pieces was founded in 1987 to create imaginative parties for children and went on to sell products including party decorations, tableware and personalised gifts. It was run from a converted barn near Carole and Michael Middleton’s home in Berkshire.
The company was incorporated in September 2019, but trading was impacted significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to administrator Interpath. It was bought by Teddy Tastic Bear Co Ltd, which is owned by entrepreneur James Sinclair.
Will Wright, head of Restructuring at Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said at the time: “Party Pieces is a well-established brand with a proud British heritage, but like many other companies across the retail space, had been impacted profoundly by the effects of the pandemic and the ensuing restrictions on social gatherings. We’re pleased to have been able to conclude this transaction which sees the business acquired by James Sinclair. We wish him all the very best for the future.”
Book row
An explosive royal book was released in August 2023 that asserted the monarchy is in a “fight for survival” – and it certainly created shockwaves with its sensational claims. It seemed no royals were immune from criticism in the book Endgame by Omid Scobie, with bombshell allegations against the likes of Charles, William and even Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
It painted an unflattering picture of Kate, describing her as a royal who works ‘part-time’ and has earned herself the nickname ‘Katie Keen’ because the palace press office hides her reportedly lower workload by saying she is “keen to learn”. It also branded the future queen ‘cold’ and claimed that despite being an advocate for better mental health, Kate ignored her sister-in-law Meghan Markle’s “cries for help”.
But one of the biggest bombshells emanating from the book was the reigniting of a race row. Both the King and Kate were dragged into the row involving Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie. A previous race row – which first emerged in the Sussexes’ 2021 Oprah interview – reignited once again when Scobie wrote in Endgame that two royals, rather than one, allegedly voiced “concerns” about the skin colour of Harry and Meghan’s son Prince Archie before he was born.
The two names – which Scobie said were written in private letters between Meghan and the King – did not appear in the UK edition of the book. But a hastily pulped Dutch version named two senior royals, one of whom was Kate, in connection with the allegation, with Scobie initially denying he included the names and later admitting they had appeared in an early, uncleared version sent to Dutch publishers.
There were calls for the Sussexes to distance themselves from the book, but there was no public statement from Harry and Meghan, and Buckingham and Kensington Palace declined to comment.
Major surgery
Kensington Palace announced that Kate would take a break from public life following her ‘successful’ abdominal surgery at The London Clinic on January 16. It was made clear that Kate wished for her personal medical information to remain private. At the time, it was understood the procedure was non-cancerous.
An official statement said it was unlikely the princess would return to public duties before Easter and the palace would “only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share”.
Photoshop scandal
Kate made headlines on Mother’s Day after social media detectives spotted numerous signs the royal’s official Mothering Sunday portrait had been ‘manipulated’. It was the first official photo of Kate since her surgery and showed her smiling with her children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Alongside the heartwarming snap, a message, which appeared to be written and signed off by Kate herself, said: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C”.
Soon after the photo was posted, eagle-eyed viewers identified several ‘errors’ in the picture. A ‘kill notice’ was issued to media organisations across the world by PA, AP, Reuters, AFP and Getty Images, which all confirmed they had pulled the image.
A ‘kill notification’ is an industry term used to retract a photo previously handed out to publications. A notice from the Associated Press read: “At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image.” AP also referred to an “inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand”.
After Kensington Palace came under ‘increasing pressure’ to address the controversy, Kate issued an apology on March 11. In a statement, Kate said: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C”.
Meanwhile, a palace source added: “The Princess has shared a statement on social media. This was an amateur, family photograph taken by the Prince of Wales. Their royal highnesses wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day. The Princess made minor adjustments as she shared in her statement on social media. The Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.”
Wild ‘body double’ theories
Kate was seen out and about in public for the first time since her surgery last Saturday on a casual outing close to their home in Windsor. Footage captured by a customer showed Kate and Will at the Windsor Farm Shop. Nelson Silva, 40, who took the video rejected the ‘ridiculous’ conspiracy theories that emerged online as people speculated if it was the real Kate.
Conspiracy theorists shared wild claims the Princess of Wales had been replaced by a body double. In less than 24 hours, the false rumours had racked up more than 12 million views on site X and more than 11 million on TikTok.
Nelson told The Sun, who published the video: “This is a video clearly showing her and William. I saw them with my own eyes. It was a completely relaxed situation. What more do you need to lay off her? I thought after this was released they’d go quiet. But these people are so invested in the drama now.” He added that staff were ‘excited’ and ‘overwhelmed’ by her presence.
“They went to the meat section and I was stood behind them,” he said. “They were talking to staff and laughing. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the staff seemed overwhelmed in a nice way. When I went to pay for my produce, the girl at the counter was so shocked she was hardly breathing. Everyone in there was very excited. It was a really nice atmosphere.”
The engineer said he initially recorded the video to send to his family, who alerted him to the rumours that she had been missing in recent weeks. He added: “I started to record as they (Kate and William) walked towards the car park. They just looked very happy and relaxed together. William was obviously protective of Kate and I quickly stopped recording because I didn’t want to make them uncomfortable.”
Medical records ‘breach’
Hospital bosses have launched a probe into claims Kate’s confidentiality was breached while she was a patient at The London Clinic, in Marylebone, Central London, in January. At least one member of staff was said to have been caught trying to access the future Queen’s private medical records during her 13-night stay in the clinic.
Kate successfully underwent abdominal surgery at the facility and was discharged on January 29. King Charles, 75, was also treated at the centre at the same time for an enlarged prostate. Kate is understood to have been made aware of the alleged incident.
An insider exclusively told the Mirror on Tuesday that the security breach is ‘incredibly damaging’ for the private 56-room hospital given its ‘unblemished reputation for treating members of the Royal Family‘. The source said: “Senior hospital bosses contacted Kensington Palace immediately after the incident was brought to their attention and assured the palace there would be a full investigation.
“The whole medical staff have been left utterly shocked and distraught over the allegations and were very hurt that a trusted colleague could have possibly been responsible for such a breach of trust and ethics.” It is a criminal offence for any staff in an NHS or private healthcare setting to access the medical records of a patient without the consent of the organisation’s data controller.
An Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.” The London clinic refused to comment on the claims but said: “We firmly believe that all our patients, no matter their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical information.”
The hospital informed the Palace of the alleged breach as soon as it was discovered, sources said. Kensington Palace said: “This is a matter for The London Clinic.”
Cancer diagnosis
In her heartbreaking statement today, Friday, March 22, Kate shared the news she had been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing preventative treatment. Her full statement read: “I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.
“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful. 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. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.
“As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both. We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment.
“My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery. At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.”
