A ROYAL pro has claimed that whilst it’s been an incredibly challenging year for the Royal Family, their cancer battles have humanised them.
Speaking on this week’s episode of Royal Exclusive, Matt Wilkinson, The Sun’s Royal Editor, was joined by legendary royal photographer Arthur Edwards and Sky’s Royal Correspondent Rhiannon Mills.
Rhiannon explained how this year has been testing for the royals, in particular for Kate Middleton, 42, and King Charles, 76, as a result of their cancer battles.
Rhiannon recognises: “It’s been a tricky year for the family.
“In a way they’ve been humanised, because of the cancer diagnosis.”
As a result, the royal expert recognised that Kate and Charles’ openness surrounding their treatment has proved that they’re just like us.
She continues: “I think, for the Republican movement, it’s not a great year to try and give the Royal Family a bashing, over money.
“I don’t think there’s the appetite from the public to have a go at them.”
Whilst we haven’t seen much of the Princess of Wales this year as a result of her undergoing chemotherapy, the mum-of-three was spotted recently when she made a surprise public appearance with Prince William to meet Southport victims.
It is her first public engagement with her husband since her cancer diagnosis - after she remained absent from any official duties following abdominal surgery in January.
Kate, who previously spoke about needing “time, space and privacy” while she completed her treatment, chatted to first responders and families, after Bebe King, six, was killed along with Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town on July 29.
Their Royal Highnesses met privately with the families of the three tragic children, and dance teacher Leanne Lucas who was present when the attack happened.
Discussing Kate’s surprise Southport visit, Rhiannon shares: “It’s been so rare to see her out in public this year.
“We knew that Prince William was going to go to Southport, we knew he was going to meet privately with the families.
In a way they’ve been humanised, because of the cancer diagnosis
Rhiannon Mills
“And then it was only literally an hour before he was due to arrive, we were told that the Princess was also going to be there.
“I think for William and Kate, what they can do and what we saw on that day, is they can bring attention back to a community that may have felt forgotten.”
Rhiannon was present on 10 October, when Catherine was seen hugging tearful emergency service workers as they told her of their ordeal responding to the Southport stabbings.
You could see etched on their faces, the strain of that visit
Rhiannon Mills
She adds: “I was there in the back garden, watching the Prince and Princess chatting to emergency service personnel.
“You could see etched on their faces, the strain of that visit.
"It was very emotionally charged.
“It doesn’t necessarily surprise me that she wanted to make that gesture.
“But in a year where we’ve seen so little from her, I think it’s all about those gestures.”
What we know about Kate's cancer diagnosis so far:
JANUARY 16: Kate is admitted to the London Clinic for abdominal surgery
JAN 17: Kensington Palace announce the princess underwent surgery
JAN 18: William spends time at Kate’s bedside
JAN 23: The princess’ hospital stay passes one week
JAN 29: Kate leaves hospital
FEBRUARY 27: Prince William pulls out of service at last minute due to 'personal matter', sparking wave of unfounded conspiracy theories about Kate's health
MARCH 4: Princess pictured in the car with mum Carole on the Windsor estate
MARCH 10: Royal posts a sweet snap of her and the kids for Mother’s Day - then fans started spotting flaws, and massive agencies put out ‘kill notice’ on photo
MARCH 11: Kate admits she edited the photo and is snapped in the car with William
MARCH 16: Royal fans spot the princess at a farm shop near Windsor
MARCH 17: Onlookers see Kate watching her youngsters playing sport
MARCH 18: The Sun exclusively published the video of Kate and Wills from two days prior
MARCH 22: Kate reveals cancer diagnosis in a video message released on Instagram
Kate revealed her diagnosis, which she said came as a "huge shock", in March.
She said she initially had no signs of cancer but post-op tests showed the disease had been "present".
A Kensington Palace spokesperson confirmed she started a course of preventative chemotherapy in late February.
After taking time away from royal duties, in September, Kate confirmed she had finish chemotherapy and was focusing on being 'cancer free'.
She said she was "looking forward" to being back at work and taking on a few more public engagements in the coming months.
By Matt Wilkinson, Royal Editor
IT was an announcement that sent shockwaves around the world – King Charles had cancer and would be stepping back from public-facing duty just 16 months into his reign.
For this no-nonsense, keep-calm and-carry-on Monarch — eldest son of the even more hard-headed Prince Philip — to admit he had to ease back on his workload meant one thing: it was bad.
Dutiful Camilla, 77, stood in for the King when he stepped back from a string of engagements including the Royal Maundy Service at Worcester Cathedral and a solo two-day visit to Belfast, both in March.
But fast forward just six months from the announcement and incredibly he is now fit enough to travel 10,000 miles for a gruelling tour of Australia and Samoa.
As one source close to the King, 75, told me: “The sun wasn’t shining in February but it is shining now”.
The King’s aides were keen to point out when he made his public comeback at a cancer hospital on April 30 that not all recovery programmes for cancer patients are the same.
Yet while he is “not yet out of the woods”, according to those in his inner circle, they add there is “great optimism” and treatment has gone “better than anyone would have thought”.
Today the details of exactly how the Royal Household put our much-loved Monarch back together again are revealed.
From exactly why he was pulled from duty to the pioneering treatments that meant he never lost his hair — and the real reason his wayward son, Harry, was given an audience of just 30 minutes.
Charles’ ordeal began in January when he revealed he needed a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
He decided to allow the public to know what he was going through, which resulted in a huge outpouring of sympathy.
Charles was touched by the public reaction but also significantly buoyed when it was revealed the NHS website received 11 times more daily visits from men with similar concerns.
But then his condition would take a turn for the worse.
Charles was due to spend two nights in the London Clinic — where Kate was also being treated — so when he spent a third night in care, people started to become concerned.
Those worries were realised when tests revealed cancer.
But rather than hide this devastating news from the public he decided that following the supportive reaction to his prostate diagnosis he would allow it to be made public.
A carefully constructed plan inspired by Operation Bubble which protected the late Queen from Covid-19 was thrown into action.
He would have weekly treatment in London and factor in vital periods of rest time at Sandringham, Highgrove and Windsor.
But his health plan was thrown into turmoil when Prince Harry announced he would jet from Los Angeles to see his father.
While the King delayed his helicopter flight from Buckingham Palace to Sandringham, his wayward son was given just 30 minutes of his company at Clarence House.
Plans were in place to avoid the King contacting a secondary infection and Harry flying 5,000 miles on a jet was not ideal.
Aides prevented Harry, 39, joining his father at Sandringham fearing “we’d never get rid of him” and he needed to reduce his social contact while undergoing cancer treatment.
During this time a Freedom of Information request revealed the Department for Culture and Media had begun procurement for the King’s potential funeral — although sources say this is not unusual.
Suggestions that William had been lined up as a potential Prince Regent if the King was unable to carry out the position have been denied by Buckingham Palace.
But the King was withdrawn from all public duty for 103 days although he continued reading government red boxes.
It can now be revealed the decision to postpone his public facing role was made as a “precautionary measure” because of the King’s diminished immune response to other diseases.
The Royal Household copied Covid-style protocols — or tiers imposed by the Government during the pandemic — to minimise secondary infection such as seasonal cold or flu.
A source said: “We had to minimise potential risk from other people, not because he couldn’t do the job.”
But as winter turned into spring and weather became warmer it meant they could relax the Covid-style tiers.
This was demonstrated when the King emerged from the Easter Sunday service and was greeted by 60 well-wishers at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Just days earlier, the monarch and his team had received news that the treatment had gone better than anyone could have expected.
One insider said: “He was raring to go after the positive results and didn’t want to hang around any longer”.
It meant the King told aides that a trip to Australia, seen as the most important tour a monarch will ever take, must go ahead in the autumn, as first revealed by The Sun.
Meanwhile, Charles’ cancer ordeal began in January when he revealed he needed a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
The King was then diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February following prostate surgery.
He decided to allow the public to know what he was going through, which resulted in a huge outpouring of sympathy.
The King was withdrawn from all public duty for 103 days although he continued reading government red boxes.
But he still managed to carry out 464 engagements in a year and more than 105,000 invited guests had walked through the doors of Royal palaces.
While he is “not yet out of the woods”, according to those in his inner circle, they add there is “great optimism” and treatment has gone “better than anyone would have thought”.
