Prince William said he was “very proud” this Thursday, November 7, of his wife and his father, whose cancers were announced in recent months, reported several British media, including the BBC.
A difficult year. Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of his visit to South Africa this Thursday, November 7, Prince William said he had “probably experienced the most difficult year” of his life, according to comments reported by the BBC. The last twelve months have been marked by the announcements of the cancers of Charles III and Princess Kate Middleton.
“I am very proud of my wife and my father for having managed [cette période]”, Prince William said. “But from a personal and family point of view, it has been brutal.”
Usually omnipresent on the public stage, Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, suddenly disappeared from the media landscape after Christmas 2023. The palace announced that she had been hospitalized in January for “abdominal surgery”, before the princess published a video message at the end of March to reveal that she had cancer, without specifying its nature.
A gradual return for several months
Since then, his public appearances have been very rare. On June 15, she attended King Charles III’s birthday parade, waving to the crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the royal family.
And at the beginning of July, she attended the final of the Wimbledon tennis open, where she presented the trophy to the winner of the tournament, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
Prince William reduced his commitments for several months due to his wife’s illness. “It was very difficult trying to overcome everything else (…) and keep everything on track,” he admits.
Especially since the United Kingdom was worried about the health of Charles III, whose cancer was announced in February 2024. The King was in Australia at the end of October, for his first trip since the announcement of his illness.
According to British media, doctors authorized the sovereign to suspend his treatment for the duration of this trip, which also took him to the Samoa Islands for a Commonwealth meeting.