Prince William offered a brief update on Princess Kate Middleton’s health amid her ongoing cancer treatments.
The Prince of Wales, 41, spoke to veterans at the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Wednesday, June 5, and said his wife is “getting better” as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy. “She’d have loved to be here,” he added.
William attended the memorial event hosted in Portsmouth, England, with his father, King Charles III, and Queen Camilla. He took the stage solo, telling the crowd that he was “deeply honored” to be speaking at the event. William also read an excerpt from Captain Alastair Bannerman of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment’s diary, a soldier who was part of the D-Day infiltration in 1944 of allied soldiers on the beaches of Normandy.
“We will always remember those who served and those who waved them off,” William said to veterans.
The Prince of Wales has kept up his royal duties while his wife takes an extended leave of absence to focus on her health. After questions about her absence continued to rise at the beginning of the year, Kate announced on March 22 that she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer following a planned abdominal surgery.
“We hope that you’ll understand that as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment,” Kate said in her video. “My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I’m able. But for now, I must focus on making a full recovery.”
Despite taking a step back from her public-facing duties, Kate has been working behind-the-scenes, especially with her “clear commitment” to the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
“We have been really clear that she needs the space and the privacy to recover right now,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said in May, before the latest Early Childhood report was released. “She will return to work when she has had the green light from doctors.”
Questions about Kate’s royal return are still swirling and any possible timeline is still up in the air.
Kate’s “recovery is going well,” but she’s focused on staying healthy, a source told Us Weekly in the issue released on Wednesday, June 5. “She’s not able to see many people because she is susceptible to getting sick and they don’t want her compromised, but she’s up and about.”
The insider explained that Kate’s team is “reevaluating what she’s going to be able to take on when she comes back.” They added: “She may never come back in the role that people saw her in before.”
