Prince William was 'completely crestfallen' about Kate's cancer diagnosis

It's been a really tough time for the royals

Prince William, Prince of Wales (Colonel of the Welsh Guards) and Catherine, Princess of Wales watch an RAF flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after attending Trooping the Colour on June 15, 2024 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William and Princess Kate have had a really difficult few months.

Commenting on how William has been coping following his wife's cancer diagnosis, royal author Robert Jobson told Us Weekly that the Prince of Wales was "completely crestfallen" after he first received the news.

"It was devastating for him," Robert added, also speculating that the royal will have felt "a lump in [his] throat" or "the empty feeling in his stomach" after they received the diagnosis — which, tragically, also followed King Charles' own recent cancer diagnosis.

"It wobbled him," Robert said of William. "There’s no doubt about that."

For the author, Kate has instead stayed "very stoic" throughout this tough time, with both the Princess and the King telling William words to the effect of "We need you now to stand up to the plate."

William has done so gracefully, stepping in where needed for official royal appearances in recent weeks.

Kate publicly revealed her cancer diagnosis in a YouTube video shared in late March, with the mum of three later updating royal fans on her health ahead of her appearance at this year's Trooping the Colour — her first since retreating from public life to care for her health in January.

Writing on social media on 14 June, Kate said: "I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days. On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well."

Since then, Kate also attended the Wimbledon men's final on 14 July with daughter Princess Charlotte. The royals are now on their annual summer holiday, so we probably shouldn't expect either Kate or William to make another appearance for a few weeks.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.