Princess of Wales' statement in full as she reveals she's undergoing cancer treatment
Source: ITV
The Princess of Wales has revealed she is undergoing cancer treatment.
In a video message released on Friday, Kate said that her abdominal surgery in January revealed "cancer had been present".
She said that she is now undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy, and is "getting stronger every day".
Read more: https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-22/princess-of-wales-statement-in-full
JohnSJ
(92,219 posts)Princess Diana
Srkdqltr
(6,297 posts)And think they are entitled to know everything. Shame on them.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)Many modern health professionals claim that people should be "open" about it but there is an underlying part of society that denigrates those who are ill, and especially anyone who has cancer.
Irish_Dem
(47,131 posts)She cuts ribbons at hospital wings and wears a tiara to fancy dinners.
LA didn't have to tell us his dx, but he did need to let Biden know he was out of commission and in the hospital.
It was between LA and his boss, Biden.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)With Charles undergoing chemo and if something happens, she and William are next in line (not Camellia).
As much as people whine about me saying it, I will still keep telling people that these Department heads are figure heads. Yes they sign/approve stuff and bark orders, but when the next President comes in (if not the incumbent), then *poof*. Away they go.
The "mission critical" people are the high level civil servants.
Irish_Dem
(47,131 posts)LA is on the NSC. He is important.
In the military you cannot go AWOL. Lives depend upon you.
LA knows that.
Troops out in the field don't want to hear that the head of the Pentagon is missing.
Even a 2nd Lt couldn't get away with just disappearing for five days.
To take your point into the discussion, it was said that the critical bureaucrats were not informed
of what was going on with LS. So the mission critical people were kept in the dark.
Which in your book would be the serious wrong.
Kate is NOT in the line of succession, she is not currently the sovereign, nor will she ever be.
Even when William ascends to the thrown Kate is just going to be queen consort, not the sovereign.
William is the power player, not Kate. He is the sovereign power.
She has nothing to do with national security matters.
LOS, line of succession to the British throne is: William, George, Charlotte, Louis.
I do think her medical leave of absence could have been handled better by palace PR from the beginning.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)The military is built on redundancy, especially due to the contingencies needed in case something (or someone) was taken out.
Yes he is important but like every other appointee, he is transitory.
Let's put it in simpler terms - what if he were on an Osprey that crashes and he doesn't survive. Then what?
The entire military collapses?
Seriously.
Contingencies are pre-built into "the system".
And my point with mentioning her in that context was to include William who is the direct line... BUT... remember what Elizabeth did a decade before she passed (not really applicable to Kate per se but a shift)?
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-15492607
Irish_Dem
(47,131 posts)I am not talking about the military collapsing at all.
I am talking about putting lives at risk.
If LA is killed, then it is public knowledge and the chain of command kicks in automatically.
That is how the military works. That is how a bureaucracy works.
The point is that he kept it all secret so the chain of command did not know anything.
That is what he did that was so very wrong.
I guess I see it differently being a military kid.
The chain of command is critical for a reason.
Lives are at stake. Someone higher up in the chain of command makes a mistake
and it means people can get killed. LA set a terrible example.
I have seen much lower ranking military people face court martial for a lot less.
For example if on leave you fell asleep on the beach and could not return to
duty, you faced charges. It is dereliction of duty. LA knows this.
You don't keep secrets about your whereabouts and play stupid games and
put lives at risk. He was wrong. He refused to use the chain of command.
What he did was wrong and Biden should have fired him
but Biden is a nice guy.
My point about Kate is that she is not a national security risk.
She is not in the LOS at all, she is just the wife of the future sovereign.
Of course people love her and she has symbolic power. But not a direct line heir
like her children.
Yes QEII did modernize some things. But it was no big deal to the British people
because they have a history of strong female rulers. QEI and QEII.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)Austin was career military - went to West Point and put in his 41 years (and probably 11 months...lol). I expect in his earlier leadership roles, he probably did the same thing (a habit that no one questioned and didn't collapse the world).
And with respect to the royals, I expect they have all kind of knowledge/info given to them (especially Will) that the commoners would have no clue about.
Irish_Dem
(47,131 posts)Last edited Sat Mar 23, 2024, 12:34 PM - Edit history (1)
He is the official head of state and head of the commonwealth.
William to some extent as the direct heir to the throne.
William just finished a month's internship at MI6.
Which is kind of interesting that it was made public.
The wives have no legal right to classified information, but I assume
they are kept informed about threats to their personal safety, etc.
Knowing too much puts them at unnecessary risk.
But yes the royal family knows more than we do.
I assume William is being read in a lot more these days.
The rumor on the internet is that Charles has pancreatic cancer with a life expectancy
of about 2 years.
I don't know if this is true or not.
But a cancer dx is never a good thing, so William is going to have to be ready to
assume the throne at any time.
Also I know Bum you and have talked about the time difference in terms of DU
and the British forums getting news. With the news of C-POW cancer dx, it hit
here on DU about 12 minutes before it appeared on the Brit forums.
I don't know if that is the actual time line of British release of information or as psychological
phenomenon. The Brits take bad news about the Royal family quite hard. It gobsmacks them
and they are so upset they literally cannot make a post for a short period of time.
So maybe a combination of a legit news lag and inability to function briefly.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)so it's not about the "time line of British release of information". Maybe it depends on which "Brit forums" you follow, and how quickly they feel the need to post about things. It needn't be about being upset (unless you're saying your Brit forums are always quick off the mark with other news stories).
Irish_Dem
(47,131 posts)There is an immediate post any time a royal sneezes.
Yes of course it is not a scientific gathering of data, just anecdotal information
based on about four different Brit forums I follow.
When the Queen died, there was a lag of information as well.
I read it here on DU first and there was a lag of about 10 minutes on the British forums.
Which I found quite odd.
Then exactly the same thing happened with recent CPOW cancer dx.
I base the possible explanation of a psychological factor on the facts as I see them.
I am quite familiar with individual members of each forum and the emotional impact
is quite obvious. People who are stiff upper lip types are stunned and heartbroken.
When QEII died I had never seen the forum members act so emotionally, they were
devastated. They had never known any other monarch and she was dearly loved
and respected.
It is hard for Americans to understand what I am describing. An entire group of people stunned
into silence. Then expressing the fact they are heartbroken.
Srkdqltr
(6,297 posts)Or they own her because she is a celebrity.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)The Brits have perfected "tabloid" to the hilt and have gotten downright obsessive.
bdamomma
(63,875 posts)needs to be under a magnify glass for their health issues. Leave these people alone.
I would make 1 exception though........not saying IT's name.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)And lol...
CousinIT
(9,247 posts)...
I posted this earlier in reference to Trump but most narcissists and sociopaths find other people's sickness and injury a tiresome inconvenience.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)Spot on.
NanaCat
(1,167 posts)So are all kinds of medical professionals--nurses, assorted therapists (including psychotherapists!), and so on.
I got a close up look at how many narcissists are in the patient healthcare industry, thanks to all of the hospitals and private practices where my mum worked.
I don't know of any narcissist who could resist working in a career field with as much opportunity for people to see you as a deity, or at least so automatically glorified for your job alone, as much as doctors, especially, are.
TxGuitar
(4,198 posts)They were responding to obviously photoshopped pictures and a picture that was a collage of other pics (the one of her with her children). Compare the image yesterday where she looks ill and then compare it to the pic of her with her kids and the one of her supposedly in the market. Not the same at all. And people were also reacting at the diff between the way Kate is treated and the way Meghan was treated.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)and when that happens, they do test for cervical/ovarian/uterine cancer.
BaronChocula
(1,559 posts)The length of time it's been since a legit appearance was a big red flag. It seemed like they were trying to keep something big under wraps. It's so tragic that they are so dedicated to their own mythology that they can't be fully human.
vankuria
(904 posts)In her announcement she said that she and William wanted to keep things private and explain to their kids in a way they would understand about her illness. It must be very difficult for kids when a parent is going for cancer treatment, let alone having the entire world commenting about her illness. I hope now the press will finally leave her alone.
FM123
(10,053 posts)I imagine there was a lot of fear that her young kids (elementary school age?) would hear stories about her and become worried they would lose their mom.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)so this way, they don't have to either walk past photographers waiting at the school gates, or have their schoolmates wondering how to talk or not talk about it, for a couple of weeks at least. It's hard for anyone, but when cancer is front page news, it's a strain most of us thankfully never have to think about.
NanaCat
(1,167 posts)But it doesn't take months to explain that to children as old as hers are. They're not toddlers anymore, after all, and old enough to understand Mummy being sick without prolonged explanations.
I'd be willing to grant her privacy, except for one thing: She's a royal with a public, and one her royal family has carefully cultivated over centuries to garner maximum fawning attention. The price of courting public attention for your own benefit is that you can't stop feeding the beast. It's always hungry for more, and it will not be happy if you withhold the juiciest bits for oneself.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)until their children were at a point where they can have a couple of weeks of privacy. They've said they told the children some time ago. It's an aspect the rest of us don't have to go through - how people you know very little, or not at all, will behave with your children when they know details about their parents' lives that strangers normally don't.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)Nope, not a red flag for those of us like me who had a complete hysterectomy (everything out - uterus, ovaries, cervix) and you don't do it with the "Darwin"type surgery, which supposedly is "less invasive". It was 4 days in the hospital (they kick women out faster nowadays) and I was literally not allowed to go up and down steps for 4 weeks. Once cleared for that (had a follow-up and needed to get staples removed), then it was all the time needed for the incision healing. I had it done due to an ovarian cyst.
I took 4 weeks of leave from work and was allowed to do 2 weeks work from home. I literally could not lift my arm above my head for a couple months and it took a year to get my energy back. I was about 4 years older than she is now, when I had that done.
This is the type of thing that women talk about when we say "reproductive health".
question everything
(47,487 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)It took awhile to get up and running again but I did have DU to read... (I had joined a few months before)
One of the best resources that I used for it back then though was HysterSisters. They have a fantastic forum and great resource articles covering every step. I don't know what I would have done without them (other than talk to my mom who had hers when she was in her early 40s).
Hekate
(90,714 posts)I am glad you are okay now.
Makes me want to shake RW politicians until their pea-brains rattle, and yell at them: Its not a fcking abortion, you idiots!
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)but you don't forget that!
One of the worst parts of it was that for the first time in my life, I had literal insomnia. And it wasn't something like being stressed and tossing and turning and maybe finally dozing off... Nope. For almost 2 weeks straight, it was literally no more than a minute of "sleep" (in quotes) day after day. I had stayed with my mom during that time (the house had 5 bedrooms so I was in one) and would go down the hall to her bedroom in tears at night. It was freaky.
Nowadays, if I take a nap, I'm out quick, fast, and in a hurry!
BaronChocula
(1,559 posts)when I was about 13. She wasn't in the hospital for long, but she was in bed for quite a while, how long, I can't recall. I do remember my father doing double-time picking up the slack while she mended including writing her essay on her application for nursing school. I remember how impressed she was. And how remarkable she was as a nurse.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)That during the era when she had to have my dad's "permission" due to the damn state laws (which is why she was an early subscriber to Ms. Magazine and fan of Gloria Steinem).
BaronChocula
(1,559 posts)of women being able to get a credit card without their husband's approval. Still mind-blowing that it wasn't that long ago.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)When my dad died in the '70s, most of the cards, except for one local department store card that she had since the '50s (who were ahead of the times giving women a card), were in his name. She tried to get them to add a "Mrs." in front of the account name and I think only one (Exxon) did so. The rest refused and she had to close them. After the laws/regulations were changed, she did eventually get a couple in her name including one from the bank she used.
But this is the type of thing that has pissed off a whole older generation of women and few younger women have any idea how things used to be, although they are starting to get a taste of it now.
calimary
(81,320 posts)You have a perspective on this kind of thing that many of us dont have (or maybe dont have YET). So your take on this is very important, informative, and valuable.
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)but one of my sisters had what might have been similar to Kate - she had to have a hysterectomy and in her case, they had tested and she ended up with uterine cancer, and went through the chemo and radiation. In fact, literally a couple days ago, she texted that she had her last follow-up with the radiologist (it's been maybe 5 years now) and was able to "ring the bell" as they say, with no detection.
calimary
(81,320 posts)YAY for both you AND your sister!
BumRushDaShow
(129,096 posts)We all had a good laugh!
BaronChocula
(1,559 posts)I'll put my money on that.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,202 posts)That one is hard to catch early. Pancreatic also.
question everything
(47,487 posts)Prairie Gates
(1,013 posts)Looks like the universe has served up another lesson in Mind Ya Fucking Business.
LeftInTX
(25,376 posts)Apparently, she made a public appearance yesterday?? So, I guess she may have finished her course??
Comfortably_Numb
(3,809 posts)LeftInTX
(25,376 posts)She said she is undergoing "preventative chemo therapy". They likely found something her reproductive organs. Or she they have have found something in the course of an appendectomy or or gall bladder surgery. (Just speculating on the most common types of abdominal surgeries)
Someone I know had cancer of the appendix. They found it after an appendectomy.
Anyway, she seemed a bit too upbeat for pancreatic cancer.
NH Ethylene
(30,813 posts)And the chemo is to prevent it from returning. It's a rather positive spin put on what most of us who had/have cancer have gone through after diagnosis. That will probably make it sound less scary to her children.
Think. Again.
(8,187 posts)...without the burdens of bankruptcy, job loss, homelessness, andor lifelong debt so many other people have to endure on top of similar health concerns.
Coventina
(27,121 posts)Here the in USA, of course, our powers that be have decided differently.....
Think. Again.
(8,187 posts)...is less important than the post office, and road maintenance, and congressional salaries and healthcare, and all the other socialized programs we have here.
Hekate
(90,714 posts)Defunding vital programs is a choice,
Think. Again.
(8,187 posts)...the lack of universal healthcare we are privileged to have.
XanaDUer2
(10,683 posts)If only everyone had that
Irish_Dem
(47,131 posts)Or that it is early stage.
highplainsdem
(49,004 posts)elleng
(130,974 posts)PatSeg
(47,501 posts)All this 'royal watch' lately has been downright creepy. Some people need to get a life and let Kate focus on her health and her family.
Raine
(30,540 posts)along with some peace as she fights this battle. 💐
bdamomma
(63,875 posts)and her family. She has a good medical team, to help her.
truthisfreedom
(23,148 posts)Especially some peace and quiet from prying media.
50 Shades Of Blue
(10,011 posts)cilla4progress
(24,736 posts)So sad WHEN ANY young person has the big C.
I wish her (and all) well!
Mosby
(16,319 posts)I was making small talk with a neurosurgeon and asked if he heard about Kate. He hadn't but told me that Charles has pancreatic cancer.
Mosby
(16,319 posts)Didn't have a chance to talk with the dr. about the info, but the way he blurted it out seemed like he knew somehow.
PortTack
(32,778 posts)sinkingfeeling
(51,459 posts)Mosby
(16,319 posts)Nt.
ZonkerHarris
(24,229 posts)As figurative and political leaders of their respective countries when they each went to the hospital they chose to conceal the nature of their visit and the illness from the public instead of being open and honest with them and leading by example in their treatment.
Sky Jewels
(7,113 posts)Also, remember when Melania got "kidney" surgery?
LeftInTX
(25,376 posts)But Queen Camilla is not the heir. When Charles dies, William will be King. If Williams dies, George will be king. (OK, it's getting weird now)
twodogsbarking
(9,759 posts)Texin
(2,596 posts)I'm not certain, but I've heard that Charles is concerned about her. I've wondered since after Christmas if Katherine might have had a pregnancy-related malady that they were trying to keep confidential (or had undergone an emergency c-section for a non-viable fetus with a serious abnormality). It had crossed my mind that it might have been a cancer diagnosis or one suspected, but it really seemed that was unlikely, but as the days ran on, it did seem that the timing of her post-surgical recovery was overlong. It's been well past six to eight weeks -- about the period of time it takes to undergo chemo or radiological treatments, and those are beastly on an individual.
LeftInTX
(25,376 posts)Obviously poor health would prevent Camilla from performing some of her royal duties, (those duties will continue if Charles dies) but those can also be delegated to other family members.
Maybe Harry and Megan will come back. Who knows?
KatyaR
(3,445 posts)Between his wife and his father, he's really going through it right now. You know he has to be worried about the kids. I mean, he lost his mom at an early age--not THAT young--but you know he doesn't want them to go through what he and Harry did.
murielm99
(30,745 posts)Every last one of us who is or has been a cancer patient should rise up in her defense. This is no one else's business, unless you want it to be!
I don't care how rich and privileged she is, this is no one else's business!
Aussie105
(5,401 posts)suffering from the fragilities of human existence.
Don't care who they are.
Cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment has an impact on people. It's a difficult time.
Others should respect this.
(Media included.)
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)health concerns. I won't go on about it, I'm just not at all interested in her private life and can't understand why people are.
I know she's a public figure but still...
Mysterian
(4,588 posts)Why not report on a cancer patient who will not?