The Prince of Wales’s reaction to his wife’s shock cancer diagnosis features in the new book (Image: Getty)
There have been few greater shocks felt in the Royal Family in recent years than when the Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024. Now, for the first time, Prince William’s reaction to his wife’s diagnosis has been revealed in searing detail in an explosive new book.
As the world fell silent at Princess Catherine’s news, eyes and hearts also turned to Prince William and the couple’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. In extracts from William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, a new book by the Daily Mirror’s Royal Editor, Russell Myers, William’s true reaction to Catherine’s health battle has been shared.
In the book, serialised in the Daily Mirror, Myers writes: “In perhaps the most emblematic moment of the irrationality of the time, on 20 March, the Daily Mirror revealed how a criminal investigation had been launched at the hospital where Catherine had been treated, over claims that three staff had allegedly tried to access the princess’s private medical records. The security breach, confirmed by the Information Commissioner’s Office, which was leading the criminal probe, made headlines around the world for days.
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Prince William’s reaction to Catherine’s cancer diagnosis has been revealed (Image: Getty)
“Yet on the day of the Mirror’s world exclusive the princess was not concerning herself with the probe or the people at the centre of it. She was steadying herself for something much more life-changing. Two weeks before that moment on a warm spring afternoon in March when she had sat down to pose for a photograph with her family, Catherine had been contacted by her medical team at the London Clinic.
“With William by her side, the Princess of Wales, who had previously been in for a major, yet routine abdominal operation, was told that secondary tests had shown cancer was present. The advice was an immediate course of preventative chemotherapy in order to give her the best chance of a full recovery.
“Friends of Catherine say that although she was caught completely in shock, she remained composed. Her first thoughts were of her children and her husband.
“William, according to friends, later told how he was in ‘a state of disbelief’. First his father had been diagnosed with cancer, and a month later his wife was now facing a similar challenge. Catherine called her parents and her siblings to tell them, then she and William resolved to gather the children and impart what they knew in the best and most positive way possible.”
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The Princess of Wales revealed she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment (Image: BBC Studios via Getty Images)
Myers continues: “Catherine had already decided to make a personal statement. She had seen the positivity and warmth that had greeted the King when he had been so open about his own diagnosis. More than that, though, the princess believed that her experience could benefit others in similar distressing circumstances. Catherine’s family rallied round, with her sister Pippa helping to write the script for the short video statement.
“Dressed in a simple striped jumper and jeans, sitting on a wooden bench and surrounded by a serene spring backdrop of daffodils – a world away from the disgraceful chaos peddled by faceless social media trolls – Catherine calmly described how the diagnosis had come as a ‘huge shock’ on top of an ‘incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family’.
“The message, recorded in complete secrecy by a BBC special events team, was broadcast on the 6pm national news and online. Much like the announcement of the death of Elizabeth II, it felt like an earthquake whose reverberations were felt around the world. ‘The days beforehand were filled with shock, but at that moment, it was genuinely as if the world stood still’, said a senior courtier.
“‘Everyone knew it was a huge moment. It was incredibly emotional. But to know both she and William had had to prepare themselves to tell their three young children that Mummy was ill and would have to go back to hospital, but that she would be OK, was just extraordinary.’
The Prince of Wales “worships” his wife, a friend has claimed in the new book (Image: Getty)
“A close friend spoke of the prince’s reaction: ‘It was like being hit by a bus, sudden, brutal, and completely disorienting. One moment life was normal, and the next, everything changed. He worships her, truly. She’s his world, and when the diagnosis came, it was as if the ground beneath him vanished.
“‘He talked about the rug being pulled, but it was more than that, it was heartbreak, fear and helplessness all at once. Watching him go through it was deeply emotional. You could see it in his eyes; in the way he held himself. But through it all, his devotion to her never wavered.
“‘He’s been by her side every step, and the depth of his devotion is something that stays with you. It’s love in its rawest, most powerful form.’
“Away from the public gaze, William and Catherine did what they could to ensure that life carried on as normal for their three young children. The Prince of Wales took charge of the school drop-offs, while Catherine’s parents and siblings were regular visitors to the family home in Windsor.
The family tried to keep everything as normal as possible for the Wales children (Image: Getty)
“Quiet evening dinners were enjoyed at home, playdates were organised to keep the children entertained and there were weekends away at the Middletons’ family home in Berkshire – all part of enveloping George, Charlotte and Louis with as much love and support as possible. While the children benefited from having their mum at home all the time, the road of treatment and recovery was not simple.
“Once the initial shock of her diagnosis had passed, the schedule of regular hospital appointments and the time needed to recuperate and regain enough strength to start each week, both physically and mentally, took its toll.
“‘Throughout everything thrown at her, she was incredibly upbeat'”, a friend said. ‘Even in her darkest moments, dealing with the physical and mental side effects, it was a pretty gruelling time. But her focus was always on her children. Being as positive and optimistic as possible was all for them.’
“From the start of her programme of treatment, Catherine immersed herself in what she described to friends as ‘natural healing’ – embracing the art of ‘shinrin-yoku’. A national pastime in Japan, also known in the West as ‘forest bathing’, it has been credited with reducing stress and promoting well-being.
The Princess of Wales (Image: Kensington Palace / MEGA)
“‘She is a big believer in the natural world and its ability to help us heal’, said a friend. ‘Having that mantra definitely helped the family connect during her treatment because they were able to spend so much time together, and getting outside in nature was a huge factor in her recovery.’
“Another friend told how William and Catherine’s relationship entered its strongest phase, through ‘mutual love and support’. ‘They are both incredibly proud of each other. Making sure the children weren’t affected, it was a lot. They were both very conscious of protecting them as much as possible.
“‘Catherine’s admiration for the way in which William took on all of that, keeping the children entertained and occupied, being constantly sanguine even when he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, allowing her to concentrate on her treatment and recovery, is something she will be eternally grateful for.'”
Extracted from WILLIAM AND CATHERINE by RUSSELL MYERS, published by Ebury Spotlight on 26th February at £22. Copyright © Russell Myers 2025.