King Charles visited his daughter-in-law, Duchess Kate, while she was undergoing surgery in January, and was seen “waddling” through a hospital corridor in a robe, according to reports.
The 43-year-old Princess of Wales, who revealed her cancer diagnosis on Friday, has been meeting regularly with the 75-year-old monarch at a London clinic, with Prince Charles undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate and Princess Middleton undergoing abdominal surgery. received.
“When they were in the hospital together, he would often toddle down the hallway to spend time with her. He continued to encourage and support her.” the times of london.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Prince Charles has since “continued to have the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law in recent weeks”.
“The King has always had a close, warm and unique relationship with the Princess. She has great love and respect for him and his position,” a source close to Charles told the paper.
Buckingham Palace said Prince Charles and Queen Camilla “continue to offer their love and support to the entire family through this difficult time.”
The Sunday Times reported that tensions had subsided after both families learned of his serious illness, and that they had been speaking on the phone regularly in recent weeks.
Duchess Kate’s cancer diagnosis: Everything we know so far
However, Prince Harry continues to be out and about with his family, and reports say he didn’t find out about his sister-in-law’s cancer until he heard about it on California TV news at the same time as the public announcement.
He and his wife, Duchess Meghan, released a very short statement wishing “the health and healing of Kate and her family.”
The Sunday Times reported that Prince Harry traveled to London in February to see his father the day after he started treatment, but did not meet his brother Prince William.
Friends of the princess said she wanted to tell the public about her condition after rumors spread of her apparent fall from public life, further spread by photoshopped images of her family. There is.
She announced in a video statement Friday that she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, but the type of cancer was not disclosed.
“It allowed her to speak directly to a public that was overwhelmingly always with her and her family and turned a deaf ear to the noise and gossip,” a close friend told the Times. “Everything was written by her, she wrote everything word for word and it came together really quickly.”
