Understandably, he pulled out of the event at the last minute.
While there’s never a good time to receive bad news, Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis reportedly arrived on an already-difficult day for Prince William. According to sources at The Daily Mail, the Prince and Princess of Wales first learned about her diagnosis right before William’s godfather’s memorial back in February.
The insider added that William “pulled out with just moments to go” before the event began, while another source at Us Weekly shared a similar report, telling the outlet: “The day the family found out was the day William canceled going to the memorial of his godfather King Constantine of Greece.”
At the time, however, William simply cited "personal reasons" for his absence. It was reported that the personal matter had nothing to do with his father King Charles's cancer diagnosis and Kensington Palace also assured the public Middleton was "doing well" following her planned abdominal surgery in a statement.
Olivia Munn Shared a Sweet Message of Support for Kate Middleton Amid Her Cancer Diagnosis
On Friday (March 22), the Princess of Wales announced that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” she said during a video message. “The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”
She continued, "We hope that you’ll understand that as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I’m able. But for now, I must focus on making a full recovery.”
As for the timing of the announcement, the same source at Us Weekly revealed that Will and Kate "wanted to wait to tell the world the news until their children were off school for the Easter break so they could have time to process the news," adding that the royal family as a whole is still "processing the information."