23 March 2024 , 09:55
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The Royal family may be facing the biggest threat since the abdication crisis, a royal expert has claimed after both King Charles' and Princess Kate were diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
The Princess of Wales announced to the world yesterday that she is on the path to recovery following a shock diagnosis earlier this year, just weeks after King Charles was diagnosed with cancer. After yesterday's announcement, Kate said she will be counting on her husband Prince William the most during her recuperation period, with the Prince of Wales caring for her, and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Royal expert Richard Kay spoke out today (Saturday, March 23) stating Prince William will now need 'every bit of his strength and every last ounce of resilience' to help guide both his father and his wife through these hard times.
Palace insiders have stressed Kate and William are trying to protect their children during this difficult time. (Max Mumby)Writing in The Daily Mail, he said: "All those close to Prince William acknowledge, he has never ducked a challenge, nor failed to face adversity as he so memorably demonstrated as a 15-year-old boy when the gaze of the world descended on him after the death of his mother, Princess Diana. But the health crisis afflicting his wife is as great a trial as the loss of his mother, possibly greater. For William, the father, his first instincts will be for the welfare of his three children with whom he and Kate have had to share the devastating news."
The announcement of Kate's cancer diagnosis came after weeks of cruel speculation over the past few months after undergoing major abdominal surgery in January. Despite the fact she was not due to return to work until Easter, trolls started to flood social media with conspiracy theories about her absence and whether photos taken of her are real.
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The expert added that now another serious concern is being raised, and that is what does Kate’s longterm illness will mean for the Royal Family in what he is concerned may 'become its gravest crisis since the Abdication'.
Richard Kay said: "For the simple fact is the absence of both the Princess of Wales and the King represents a supercharged shock to the royal system. Charles and Kate are, by some distance, the most charismatic members of the family — the King in his genial reliability, Kate in her beauty and compassion.
"Right now these are unstable times for a Royal Family stripped of its star performers — and stability goes to its very core. But if history teaches us one thing about the monarchy, it is that it has a capacity to overcome the most testing of obstacles. It has survived revolution, civil war and the darkest of threats."
Queen Camilla will now be 'so vital' to the survival of the Royal Family, the expert added. He predicted that she will lead what looks like a 'make do and mend line-up of royal cousins and second cousins'.
Kate Middleton announced she has been undergoing chemotherapy (BBC Studios)He said: "Legitimate questions will be asked about whether this reduced pecking order will cope. The experience of the past few weeks has shown just how vulnerable the family has become and the public’s reaction has been one of disquiet. Nothing illustrated that unease more than the sight of the disgraced Prince Andrew leading the royals into the Windsor memorial service for ex-King Constantine of Greece. It triggered worldwide consternation, largely because of the unexplained absence of Prince William, the late King’s godson."
William had been due to give a reading at the memorial service for his godfather, the former King Constantine of Greece, who passed away last year. However, the prince pulled out suddenly, with King Constantine's eldest son, Crown Prince Pavlos, giving the reading instead.
At the time, Kensington Palace said William's absence from the service was due to a 'personal matter'. It's now understood he bowed out of the reading because of wife Kate's illness.