How Kate Middleton Took Complete Control Of Speech Announcing Cancer

After so many rumors about her health crisis drew suspicion, what really happened to Catherine, Princess of Wales finally became clear after she released a video on March 22, 2024. Kate Middleton explained the nature of her absence from the public eye over the past few months and revealed that she is undergoing chemotherapy. This video came after more than a few PR blunders from Kensington Palace as of late, but this latest move seems to have put a lot of the gossip to rest. By the sound of it, the drama has finally been managed since Kate took control of her own narrative.

Kate's video telling the public about her recovery from abdominal surgery and subsequent cancer diagnosis came as a shock to many, despite the various theories that had floated around about the princess' whereabouts. Based on her friend's reports, though, it seems that this video was Kate's way of taking the reins and subduing the rumor mill. Kate's friend told The Sunday Times that she wrote the words she shared in the video "by herself, very quickly" and that "quell[ing] further gossip and health speculation" was a main goal.

Surely the royal family, as a whole, wanted some of the wild rumors surrounding Kate Middleton and her recovery to cease. Ultimately, though, it was Kate herself who made the plan to make a statement. "It wasn't really about the drama of the last few weeks, though obviously that has been upsetting," her friend explained, per The Sunday Times. "She felt she had to do it because of who she is. It was more that she knows she is a public figure and has a wider leadership responsibility."

 Kate's status as a public figure has never been quite as clear as it has over the past few months. The act of simply avoiding the public eye sparked overwhelming concern and widespread theories. Clearly, Kate's instinct to speak to the public when she did was the right one, as many of her fans have since chalked her disappearance up to poor PR choices and the princess' goal to protect her family. Some rumors that the video is AI and that it was all a distraction from what is really going on still persist, but she managed to get most of the confusion and suspicion under control, at least for now.

The choice to address the public was not the only thing Kate Middleton did right with her statement. The way she told her story was a smart choice, too. According to her friend, Kate wanted to share a video message rather than a written statement, which she feared would be "jarring" in light of the public's worries (via The Sunday Times). When it came to the video itself: "It was all her, she wrote every word of it; it came together very quickly," the source said.

After the period of peculiar silence that Kate broke with her recent statement, she and Prince William followed up just a few days later with a written statement. On Sunday, March 24, 2024, a spokesperson for Kensington Palace told Time, "The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the U.K., across the Commonwealth, and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness' message. They are extremely moved by the public's warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time."