LONDON — On a crisp, sunny morning outside Buckingham Palace, stories surrounding Kate, Duchess Kate, gave way to a wave of warm wishes Saturday after she announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
“We were all very shocked,” said teacher Seema Riaz, who was visiting London with her sister Shahnaz, 18, and brother Abdullah, 19. “It's going to be difficult for her family, too,” said Riaz, 29, from Leicester, a city about 100 miles north of London.
“Of course as Muslims, we will definitely pray for all of them,” Riaz said, noting that it is Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims.
Duchess Kate, 42, wife of Britain's future King Prince William, revealed her diagnosis in a rare video message on Friday after weeks of speculation.
She said she was undergoing chemotherapy, thanked the public for their support and asked for privacy. Her announcement led to an outpouring of sympathy from the public, media, and world leaders. For many, this endorsement coincides with a reassessment over the past few weeks, which has shed a completely different light on the frenetic saga surrounding Kate Middleton's health.
Shanaz said that although she knew about Kate's surgery, “the news that she had cancer was still a shock.''
Duchess Kate is regularly polled as Britain's most popular royal, but uncertainty and what many experts see as a public relations failure for the Palace have led to fierce and sometimes negative criticism. It was stirring up news reports. Things changed dramatically on Saturday, when the front page of popular British tabloid The Sun declared: “Kate, we are with you.”
That sentiment was shared by people outside the palace in central London early Saturday morning.
“I thought it took a lot of courage to speak out like that, especially since I'm still recovering,” said Vicki Daniels, 49.
Asked about the online speculation, Daniels, from Gloucestershire in south-west England, said it was “absolutely awful”.
“I wish they would just leave me alone. I wish they would just leave the whole royal family alone and do their thing. What really frustrates me is people who just don't know what they're doing. “There are a lot of them,” she said. “Needless to say, we wish her and her children all the best.”
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said on Saturday: “The Prince and Princess have been deeply touched by the kind messages” they have received in response to Kate's video.
“They have been extremely touched by the warmth and support of the public and appreciate their understanding of their request for privacy at this time,” the spokesperson said.
Duchess Kate's diagnosis marks an even more difficult few months for the royal family.
King Charles III said on Friday he was proud of Duchess Kate's “courage to speak like she does”, although he himself was diagnosed with cancer last month and is undergoing treatment.
“No matter how you look at this news, it's clear that the royal family is in crisis,” NBC News royal commentator Daisy McAndrew said Friday.
“This is not only a crisis for families – the human family – grandfathers, sons, parents – but also for the royal family as an institution.”
After returning outside Buckingham Palace and watching the group ride past on horseback, Sandra Martinez, 50, said she too wanted to pray for the Duchess' safety, adding: “I hope the whole family is safe.'' I hope so.”
Duchess Kate's children George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5, have also largely stayed away from the public eye since the surgery, and the Duchess of Cambridge has told them everything in a video message. “It took a while'' to explain, he said. And she's “to reassure them that I'm okay.”
Martinez, a medical worker from Miami who was visiting London with her husband Alexis, 52, and son Diego, 14, said she was “very touched” by Kate's message.
“Everyone knows someone who has had cancer,” she said. “It's difficult, but I'm sure she'll get through it and get better. I feel for her because I think it's hard on her kids as well.”
