Prince William's First Statement About King Charles' Cancer Might Show Glimmer Of Hope
His wife, Kate Middleton, is in a long recovery from surgery, and his father has just begun a battle with cancer, but Prince William appears to be in good spirits. Less than a month after it was announced Catherine, Princess of Wales, had an abdominal operation and would be out of commission for several weeks, Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer, and would begin treatments immediately.
In his first royal public appearance since the family's medical news was shared globally, the Prince of Wales gave a speech at a fundraiser for London's Air Ambulance Charity on February 7, 2024. The black-tie gala was held to raise funds to add two new helicopters to their existing fleet by the end of the year.
On the red carpet before the event, William expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the public's support of his family, but it was during his time at the podium that he really seemed to make a statement — one that may have revealed more about a hopeful prognosis for Charles. The prince had jokes.
The prince shared a light-hearted quip about all the medical news
During his speech at London's Air Ambulance Charity gala, Prince William added a bit of lightheartedness to King Charles III's current medical situation, potentially revealing his cancer may not be truly dire in the process. According to Today, after thanking everyone for their "kind messages of support," he quipped, "It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus. So I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!"
The Prince of Wales further kept up the jovial mood with a poke at Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who also attended the event, asking him to refrain from using the new helicopters in a movie. "We have all seen on our screens that — how can I put it — you seem to have a different take on 'normal wear and tear' to the rest of us. It's not the kind that buffs out," he joked, per The Mirror. The levity and humor William shared offered hope for the king's future recovery and health.