Explaining complex things to children is a big task, not least because you must try to make them as easy to understand as possible. However, in some cases, it includes giving the children sad news, which was exactly what Kate Middleton and Prince William were forced to do when her cancer diagnosis was determined.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have been told about their mother’s cancer diagnosis, and in her announcement video, she revealed that she told them she would be okay. Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales had carefully planned when to drop the news of her cancer, in an effort to protect their children.
In the coming weeks, William, Kate, and their children will be spending time in their country home of Anmer Hall, far away from cameras and the public. At the same time, a royal expert now shares an alarming update on the royal children – which could be absolutely crucial moving forward.
On Friday, March 22, Kate Middleton broke her nearly two-month silence about her health after undergoing her “planned” abdominal surgery. The Princess of Wales has been diagnosed with cancer and is now undergoing chemotherapy.
“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,” Kate Middleton said in the video, sitting solo at a bench on the Windsor grounds with daffodils in the background.
Kate MIddleton – cancer diagnosis
“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. Tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” Kate continued, adding that she was in the early stages of 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 okay.”
As Kate Middleton revealed, the news became a “huge shock” to her family. Meanwhile, one can only imagine how Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis took the news. The young children – ten-year-old George, eight-year-old Charlotte, and five-year-old Louis – are Prince William and Kate Middleton’s biggest priority and will always be.
As the Princess of Wales is now facing chemotherapy, they want to protect their children as much as they can, and therefore, the fact that the cancer announcement video was released at 6 pm GMT was not a coincidence.
How Prince George, Princess Charlotte & Prince Louis found out about Kate’s cancer diagnosis
Exactly when George, Charlotte, and Louis were notified about their mother’s cancer diagnosis is unclear.
However, according to the Sunday Times, the cancer announcement video was released just a few hours after their children’s school had closed so that they wouldn’t immediately face questions about it from their friends. At that point, they had gotten the news.
“George is ten now and can’t be shielded from any of this now,” a palace source told the Times. “Once it’s at the school gate and in the school playground, he won’t be able to avoid it.”
So, how do you tell your children that you have cancer? One person, King Charles’ former butler Grant Harrold, argues that Prince William and Kate Middleton explained it differently to them.
Speaking with The Post, Harrold, who worked for Charles for seven years when he was the Prince of Wales, said that the couple most likely “sugarcoated” her health issues when they broke the news to Prince Louis.
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“I’m sure it was a very difficult and very different conversation between children,” Grant Harrold told the NY Post. “For instance, for Louis, I’m sure the conversation was more sugarcoated than it was with George and Charlotte.”
The former butler continued, “The older children can understand more, so I’d imagine it was a little more frank but undoubtedly staying positive, which is so important.
“That’s why when you now look at the picture of Kate with her three children, it brings a tear to your eye. For any mother to have that conversation is huge and you can imagine Charlotte and George are going to be good supports for her.”
“Their parents are very good at being calm and collected”
Moreover, Harrold stated that since Louis is only five, it’s fair to assume that the young prince “probably doesn’t understand too much” about his mother’s cancer diagnosis.
“It’s a tricky one. I’m sure the children will be handling it as any kids would be expected to handle it, but I think their parents are very good at being calm and collected, and I think that will rub off on the children,” he told the NY Post.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis will return to school during the summer term, beginning on April 17. The royal children will spend time with their parents at Anmer Hall at the Sandringham Estate for the next three weeks.
Just as in many families worldwide, Easter means many traditions for the royal family. However, this Easter, including Prince William and Kate and their children, won’t happen.
As per reporters, the Prince and Princess have said they will not be joining King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other royal family members at church on Easter Sunday. Instead, they will spend time with their children.
The couple and their children have been at church on Easter Sunday many times. Last year, Prince Louis made his debut, but his second appearance will have to wait.
While King Charles is still undergoing treatment for his cancer, he will still attend the service at church.
“It’s understood that King Charles may attend a church service on Easter Sunday with a smaller royal turnout if his health allows it,” Hello! Magazine’s royal expert, Danielle Stacey, said.
Prince William & Kate Middleton’s Easter plans with their children
“Charles has minimized his contact with larger crowds to reduce risks as he continues his cancer treatment,” she continued. “While we’ve seen the King conduct small audiences at Buckingham Palace, he’s not attended any large-scale gatherings since his diagnosis, such as the reception for Korean War Veterans last week, the Commonwealth Day service and the memorial for the late King Constantine in Windsor last month.”
Although Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis won’t attend the church service, they won’t sit around at Anmer Hill doing nothing. Like in previous years, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children will have fun in their country home – not least with the annual Easter egg hunt.
Anmer Hall has always been very close to Kate’s heart. The country home in Norfolk, located around 110 miles outside of London, is said to be where she feels “most at home.”
The latest months of uncertainty and the cancer diagnosis have surely taken their toll, but now, they will get to spend some quality family time together. For Kate, that’s a certainty, as she’s previously said she is happiest “with my family outside in the countryside.”
In 2021, an Us Weekly source said that the children like to bake “a delicious chocolate cake covered in mini Cadbury eggs” with their mother.
Three years ago, Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were still alive, and the kids surprised them with “personalized Easter eggs, which they made and decorated themselves.” This year, perhaps grandpa King Charles and step-grandma Queen Camilla will get them instead.
Kate Middleton finds happiness by spending time with her children
As mentioned, the children also get involved in the yearly Easter egg hunt, which William and Kate organize.
“They don’t allow George, Charlotte, and Louis to have chocolate and sweets every day, so it was a real treat,” the insider told Us Weekly.
“They enjoy family bike rides, playing tennis and George and Charlotte are taking horse riding lessons. Charlotte is obsessed with horses, just like her great-grandmother. It’s her favorite activity.”
Spending quality time with her children is a blessing for Kate Middleton, and that hasn’t changed, even during this challenging time.
“The children always brighten up her day, and she always says that when she goes through a difficult time, having her family there always helps. She feels so blessed to have her kids and a loving family,” the Us Weekly source added.
While Prince George and his siblings are protected from the media and all that it brings, at school, it is a whole different world. The royal children’s friends surely know everything about Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis at this point.
Prince George has been spared any impact royal news has had on his life so far. However, his mother’s illness could sadly be his first taste of what being a royal family member can mean.
Royal expert issues warning about Kate Middleton’s children – ‘they must be protected’
On her show, GB News host Bev Turned stated that Easter would be a perfect time to discuss what was happening.
Meanwhile, she noted that Kate “wanted to tell her children in her own time,” adding that the princess “didn’t want to be pushed into it” even though the speculations grew.
“She’s got them off for Easter for 2 or 3 weeks now, and she can talk to them and keep them close,” Bev Turrned said.
Moreover, royal commentator Sarah Vine added that Kate Middleton and William are “lucky” that their children are still “quite young.” If they had been older, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, or Prince Louis could’ve found out about it on the internet before hearing the news from their parents.
According to her, the most crucial thing for Kate and William to do now is protect the kids.
“It’s very important to try and manage the children because it’s just really frightening knowing that your mother’s ill and they will probably have a lot of questions,” she said.
Co-host Andrew Pierce added, “And also, kids on the playground are cruel, and it’s better that it’s not exposed to the kids on the playground just yet.”
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