Charles and Camilla made a touching gesture by visiting Princess Kate’s bedside after her surgery as he dealt with his own health battle.
The King and Queen, who said tonight they were ‘so proud’ of Kate, had visited her bedside at the London Clinic on January 26 when Charles checked in for treatment.
That was the 11th day of a fortnight-long hospital stay for the Princess of Wales, 42, who tonight revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer.
Charles, 75, arrived at the time for treatment for a benign enlarged prostate, but first visited his daughter-in-law’s ward, accompanied by Camilla.
Doctors who treated him discovered he had what Buckingham Palace has described as “a form of cancer,” which the king announced on February 5.
King Charles and Queen Camilla stopped by Kate’s London Clinic bedside on January 26
The Princess of Wales released a video message this evening revealing she has cancer
Kate spent a fortnight at the London Clinic after undergoing abdominal surgery in January
Charles was photographed arriving at the London Clinic in Marylebone at around 9am on January 26, minutes after leaving Clarence House.
He had arrived at his home in London yesterday after returning by helicopter from the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The king has been resting at Sandringham since last Friday after flying back with Camilla from Birkhall, his private home near Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.
Charles paid tribute to his daughter-in-law this evening for her courageous video message revealing her own cancer diagnosis.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: His Majesty is “so proud of Catherine for her courage to speak as she did.”
‘Following their time together in hospital, HM has ‘remained in close contact with his beloved daughter-in-law in recent weeks’.
Their Majesties “will continue to offer their love and support to the entire family at this difficult time.”
Their words came after Kate released a video message recorded in Windsor on Wednesday, which said: ‘In January I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time my condition was thought to be non-cancerous.
‘The operation was successful. However, tests after the surgery revealed that cancer was present.
King Charles was seen arriving at the London Clinic in Marylebone on January 26
Queen Camilla (centre) accompanied him that day when they visited Kate in her ward
King Charles greets Kate at an event at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2021
The Princess of Wales was spotted attending church in Sandringham on Christmas Day last year
‘My medical team therefore recommended that I undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.
‘This obviously came as a huge shock, and William and I have done everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. You can imagine that this took time.’
It is understood the video was deliberately released on the day William and Kate’s three children started their Easter holidays.
After the princess was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery on January 16, her condition was not believed to be cancerous.
But tests after the successful surgery revealed cancer, the type of which has not been disclosed.
The princess is now on what is being described as a ‘recovery journey’ after starting a course of chemotherapy at the end of February.
Her cancer diagnosis is why Prince William pulled out of a Feb. 27 memorial service for his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece.
It is said that the future queen has a positive attitude towards her recovery and is in good spirits. She describes herself as ‘good and getting stronger every day’.
Kensington Palace said: ‘She is extremely grateful to the medical team for the care they are providing her.
Kate attended the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London last November
The London Clinic, where the Princess of Wales was treated after abdominal surgery, first opened in 1932. Above: Police outside the hospital during Kate’s stay
Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Kate on the balcony of Buckingham Palace next to the late Queen Elizabeth II on June 5, 2022
‘She now needs time, space and privacy to complete her treatment and make a full recovery.’
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said tonight that the Princess of Wales has ‘the love and support of the whole country’.
Good wishes also poured in from around the world, including from the White House, where US President Joe Biden said he was “incredibly saddened to hear the news”.
Kensington Palace has said it will not share details about what type of cancer the princess has, or what stage of cancer it is, and has asked people not to speculate.
