In February, Prince William bailed on a memorial service for his own godfather the morning of the service. Kensington Palace only told the public then that it was for “a personal matter.”
We now know much more; he skipped the service, to be there for his wife, Kate Middleton.
Why Prince William Missed His Godfather’s Memorial
Given that his father, Prince Charles just announced his cancer diagnosis and that William’s wife, Kate Middleton, was still recovering from undisclosed abdominal surgery, people were concerned when William did not show up for the service.
William was meant to oversee the memorial of the late King Constantine of Greece, who died in January 2023. The royal was William’s godfather.
In light of learning that his wife Kate Middleton is also battling cancer, we’ve also been clued in a bit on the timeline of things.
It seems that Prince William skipped the February memorial because of his wife’s stunning cancer diagnosis.
Whether he had just learned of the diagnosis just before or days before, it is unclear from the The Post reporting.
However, Royal insiders made it clear that Kate’s then-undisclosed medical crisis was the reason from the abrupt cancellation.
Kate’s Cancer Announcement
“Unfortunately, The Prince of Wales is no longer able to attend the King Constantine Memorial Service this morning due to a personal matter,” the palace told NBC News in a statement Feb. 27.
With Prince William unavailable and King Charles in Cyprus for another event, the ball was punted to Queen Camila to be the face of the royal family.
At the time, concerned for William’s family, the immediate follow up was to inquire about the health of Kate Middleton, who was admitted to the hospital last month for a planned, yet surprise surgery to the public.
The palace would not provide any further details why William missed the event, but added that Catherine, Princess of Wales, “continues to be doing well”.
A cover for the sad news that Kate was actually dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” Kate said in a video message on March
“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that 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,” the Princess added.
Camilla Steps In
With all the other royals occupied, Queen Camilla led the charge at the royal event.
King Charles III is still receiving treatment for his cancer diagnosis, while Prince Harry – well, as much as he might like to be back in with the royal family, that’s not bound to happen overnight.
But Camilla did have backup!
Other British royal family members at the service included Prince Andrew, his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, as well as Princess Anne and Zara and Mike Tindall.
Here’s hoping everything is okay in the Kensington home!