Kate Middleton visits Colham Manor Children’s Centre in Hillingdon with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance on November 9, 2022.Photo:Daniel Leal - WPA Pool/Getty
Daniel Leal - WPA Pool/Getty
Kate Middleton’s decision to disclose hercancer diagnosisdrove historic traffic to the website of a leading U.K. charity for cancer information and support.
On Monday,Macmillan Cancer Supportrevealed that there were nearly 100,000 visits to its online information and support pages from Friday to Sunday, following the Princess of Wales’ announcement that she is receiving cancer treatment. Macmillan said the surge marked a 10% year-over-year increase and doubled as the highest weekend traffic since March 2020, when the first COVID lockdown took effect in the U.K.
According to astatement, Macmillan’s website saw a “similar spike” in February after Buckingham Palace announced thatKing Charleswasdiagnosed with cancer, where the information and support pages were visited almost 50,000 times a day.
The charity sent words of support to Princess Kate on Friday soon after she shared the “shock” news about her health in a personal video message, along with well-wishes forPrince Williamand their childrenPrince George, 10,Princess Charlotte, 8, andPrince Louis, 5.
“We are sending our best wishes to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. We hear from people all over the country, every day going through the experience the Princess has described, and our thoughts are also with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and their children. Many families will be sending solidarity to them,” Macmillan Cancer Support wrote onXon Friday, along with a link to its cancer information and supportpage.
Charity officials dedicated asecond messageto the British royal family on Saturday, acknowledging that the news of Princess Kate’s cancer diagnosis would naturally take time to process.
“We wish the@RoyalFamilypeace and some time to themselves after@KensingtonRoyal’s news yesterday. For many parents, some of the first thoughts they may have after being diagnosed with cancer are how it may affect their family, and how to tell them,” Macmillan Cancer Support said on X on Saturday. The organization also shared tips for “having a conversation about a cancer diagnosis with children” — a topic which Princess Kate discussed her personal experience with in her message on Friday.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time toexplain everythingto George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok,” the Princess of Wales said.
Princess Kate may havestrategically waitedto make the public announcement about her health until her kids were out of the classroom. Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have attended the Lambrook School since September 2022, and the private prep is currently on a half-term break for the Easter holiday.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!A palace sourcetold PEOPLEthat the Princess of Wales “wrote every word herself” of the speech revealing her cancer diagnosis, and on Monday,Sarah Fergusonpraised Princess Kate for speaking publicly about her cancer diagnosis. The Duchess of York, 64, revealed in January that she wasdiagnosed with skin cancerafterhaving breast cancer, and has said the diagnoses furtherinspired her to driveto advocate for early cancer detection and screenings.
“As someone who has faced their own battles with cancer in recent months, I am full of admiration for the way she has spoken publicly about her diagnosis and know it will do a tremendous amount of good to raise awareness,” she continued. “I hope she will now be given the time, space and privacy to heal. "
source: people.com
