Kate Middleton’s emotional cancer video was two weeks in the making: Princess of Wales ‘made decision a fortnight ago to make statement’ and her priority was protecting her children ‘who were already being affected by speculation’

Princess Kate decided a fortnight ago to make her emotional video statement revealing her cancer diagnosis to help protect her children for being questioned at school, it has been claimed.

The Princess of Wales is said to have come to the decision around the time she was facing intense social media speculation after the Photoshop editing of a family photo released on Mother’s Day.

Kate was always intent on waiting until her children’s school broke up for Easter on Friday to go public about her health, it was suggested.

The princess revealed in a video issued on Friday evening that she was diagnosed with cancer last month, having spent a fortnight in the private London Clinic for abdominal surgery in January.

She and husband Prince William have told of being ‘extremely moved’ by the outpouring of goodwill from across the world since her shock announcement.

A photo of Kate and her three children was shared online on Mother’s Day two weeks ago

William and Kate are pictured here arriving at St David’s Cathedral in Haverfordwest in Wales last September 8 for a service commemorating the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II

Prince Harry and Meghan have also both contacted them after finding out the princess has been having treatment for cancer.

Kate is now on what has been described as a ‘recovery pathway’ after starting a course of chemotherapy in late February.

A friend has said she wrote her cancer battle message ‘by herself, very quickly’ – while Kate has also been described as a ‘lynchpin’ of her family whose priority is always her children.

And more details about the build-up to Friday’s announcement were suggested today on BBC1’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme. 

The Sun editor Victoria Newton told the show the timing deliberately coincided with the last day at Lambrook School in Berkshire before the Easter break for Kate’s three children Prince George, 10, eight-year-old Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, five. 

She said: ‘It was actually, I understand, that the princess made the decision two weeks ago that she as going to do this public statement.

‘The key thing for her as a mother, the priority was protecting those three children.

‘She didn’t want them going to school, being asked even more than they already were.

‘They were already being affected at school, so it was always her plan that she would wait until the last day of term.

‘Obviously they’ve endured an incredible amount of social media speculation which has been really hard for them to handle, but the priority for her was always those children.’

Kate was seen with her family attending church at Sandringham on Christmas Day last year

Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Kate on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 5, 2022, along with the late Queen Elizabeth II

The princess had said in her video message: ‘Most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay.’

Friends have described her as a family ‘lynchpin’ and also said she and William were ‘fantastic parents’ and ‘committed to giving the children the happiest and healthiest upbringing possible’, the Telegraph reported.

And a former press secretary for the late Queen Elizabeth II has praised Kate for being ‘word perfect’ in her ‘brave, powerful and dignified’ statement about her diagnosis.

Simon Lewis, who handled the media for Elizabeth in 1998, said the princess had ‘broken new ground’ in going public about her health and described her video statement as ‘enormously authentic’.

A photograph of Kate smiling with her three children was shared online on Mother’s Day, March 10.

The princess followed that up with an apology the next day, admitting she edited the picture using Photoshop after international agencies including the Press Association and Reuters withdrew it from their feeds.

The furore came amid plenty of online speculation – including conspiracy theories – about Kate’s health, before she spoke out to clarify her diagnosis.

Mr Lewis told Times Radio today: ‘Kensington Palace made a decision, particularly after the photograph that appeared and was misinterpreted by some, that they had to do something at the right time.

‘People didn’t realise just how much scrutiny there was going to be of that single photograph.

William and Kate were seen leaving Windsor together as they were driven in a car on March 11

William and Kate have been described by friends as ‘fantastic parents’ to their three children

The Prince and Princess of Wales, pictured here at Fitzalan High School in Cardiff last October, have thanked the public for their support following news of her cancer treatment

‘And what we don’t know, of course, is where they’d got to in terms of communicating this news to their children.’

The cancer diagnosis has been revealed as the reason behind William pulling out of attending a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece, his godfather, on February 27.

Kate spent a fortnight at the London Clinic after being admitted on January 16 for abdominal surgery.

King Charles and Queen Camilla visited her ward on January 26 before Charles, 75, himself had an operation for a benign prostate cancer condition – and was later diagnosed with cancer, for which he has since been receiving treatment.

In a statement released on the King’s behalf on Friday night, Buckingham Palace said: ‘His Majesty is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did”.

‘Following their time in hospital together, HM has “remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks”.

‘Both Their Majesties “will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time”.’

Their words came after Kate released a video message recorded last Wednesday at Windsor, saying: ‘In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.

‘The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.

King Charles and Queen Camilla have said they are ‘so proud’ of daughter-in-law Kate

King Charles greets Kate during an event at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2021 

‘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. As you can imagine, this has taken time.’

Kate has been rarely seen in public since attending church at Sandringham in Norfolk on Christmas Day last year – though a member of the public filmed her and William after visiting a farm shop earlier this month.

The couple were also photographed being driven from Windsor on March 11 before the prince attended a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in central London and Kate went on to a private appointment.