Kate Middleton cancer: Why William was not with Kate in her diagnosis video revealed

In a video statement issued on Friday evening, Kate announced that she had begun preventative chemotherapy and told other cancer patients: “You are not alone.”

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Here is the King’s full speech which was broadcast during the Royal Maundy Service at Worcester Cathedral on Thursday:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is, for me, a great sadness that I cannot be with you all today.

“The Maundy Service has a very special place in my heart.

“It has its origin in the life of Our Lord who knelt before his disciples and, to their great surprise, washed their travel-weary feet.

“And, as we have just heard, in doing so he deliberately gave to them and to us all an example of how we should serve and care for each other.

“In this country we are blessed by all the different services that exist for our welfare.

“But over and above these organisations and their selfless staff, we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need.

“The 150 men and women who have been chosen today to receive the Maundy money from my wife are wonderful examples of such kindness; of going way beyond the call of duty and of giving so much of their lives to the service of others in their communities.

“The act of worship, here in Worcester Cathedral, reminds me of the pledge I made at the beginning of the coronation service – to follow Christ’s example ‘not to be served but to serve’.

“That I have always tried to do and continue to do, with my whole heart.

“It is my special prayer today that Our Lord’s example of serving one another might continue to inspire us and to strengthen all our communities.

“May God bless you all this Easter.”

The Duke of Sussex is understood to have cost the taxpayer more than £500,000 following his failed legal bid to overturn a Home Office decision which denies him the right to automatic police protection.

Figures obtained by the Telegraph via a Freedom of Information request show that the total cost incurred by Prince Harry fighting two separate judicial review claims reached £514,128.

This included more than £180,000 for counsel, £320,000 for the Government Legal Department, £2,300 in court fees and almost £10,000 in e-disclosure.

Harry was challenging a February 2020 order by the Royal And VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) that scaled back his security detail after he infamously quit the royal family and relocated to the US in 2020.

Major Labour donors would not get an “automatic pass” to receiving honours if the party wins power, its chairwoman said as she criticised Rishi Sunak for recommending a knighthood for a top Tory backer.

Businessman Mohamed Mansour – who gave £5 million to the Tories in 2023 and is a senior treasurer at the party – was knighted for business, charity and political service.

Four Conservative MPs were also given gongs in a surprise honours list slipped out while Parliament was in recess and on the eve of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Labour frontbencher Anneliese Dodds on Friday said the honours system should be used as a means of rewarding people who have made a “contribution to our public life”.

But she did not rule out Labour donors receiving honours if Sir Keir Starmer’s party wins the general election this year.

Asked the question, she told Sky News: “It shouldn’t be an automatic pass through from somebody who’s made a huge donation to a political party then being rewarded in that manner.”

The Queen said she is “still standing” when a well-wisher asked her how she is amid the King’s cancer diagnosis during a visit to Shrewsbury on Wednesday, 27 March.

Camilla was greeted by huge crowds during a visit to a farmers’ market in the town centre.

She also stopped to say hello to ten-year-old Harriet and Lois Waterston, aged six, who gave her posters they had made saying “send our love to Kate”.

Camilla’s visit to Shrewsbury was her first royal engagement with members of the public since the monarchy’s double cancer scare.

The Princess of Wales did not want her husband by her side in the video revealing her cancer diagnosis as she wanted to “personally deliver” the news herself.

Sitting on a bench surrounded by greenery, Kate was markedly alone as she told the speculating world that she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

As many wondered why Prince William was not in the emotional video, a palace source told People: “It is a message from the princess about her health, and she wanted to personally deliver the message on her own.”

However, Kate did refer to her husband in the two-minute address, as she said: “William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”

The palace insider said the Prince of Wales has been “supporting throughout,” adding: “William is extremely proud of his wife for the courage and strength she has shown not just this week but since her surgery in January.”