Prince William remains positive about his wife's health.
The heir apparent to the British throne gave another encouraging but vague update on the health of Catherine, who confirmed in March that she has cancer and is receiving preventive chemotherapy to treat the undisclosed form of the disease.
In a video filmed at the D-Day anniversary service in France, a veteran asked William if his wife was “getting better” during her treatment.
“Yes,” the 41-year-old prince responded in images posted on social media. “She would have loved to be here today.”
William and his father, King Charles III, joined world leaders and veterans at a series of events to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Prince William attended the Canadian memorial ceremony in Juno Beach, where he thanked Canadian veterans for their “extraordinary acts of bravery and sacrifice.”
On Friday, the prince flew alone to the jet-set wedding of his close friend Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, and Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral, about four hours from London. William served as Grosvenor's usher, godfather to William's eldest son, Prince George, and one of the richest men in the United Kingdom, the Associated Press reported. (Wills' apparently estranged brother, Prince Harry, who is also a friend of the duke, was also not present.)
The Prince of Wales's latest comments about Catherine come after he returned to royal duties in April and weeks after his previous update on his wife's illness.
“Everything is going well, thank you,” William said in late April at the grand opening of James Place Newcastle, where he was asked how his wife and three children were doing. “We are all fine.”
Kensington Palace, the official spokesperson for the Welsh, has made few public statements about the princess other than to say that she is “in good spirits and…focused on making a full recovery.” She will return to royal duties when her doctors clear her to do so, the palace said.
In late May, Vanity Fair reported that the princess “turned a corner,” “tolerates the medications and is actually much better.” The story, which she cited to an anonymous family friend, came after reports that Catherine had been seen with her family, as well as rumors that she would not return to royal duties until next year. .
“There is no schedule and there is certainly no rush. It will be when Catherine feels ready and when she gets the green light from her medical team. But she will return to work 100%, there is no doubt about that,” a source told the magazine. The report also says that Catherine suspended all of her work-related duties in the middle of her treatment, but she stays up to date on major developments in public service projects. A Kensington Palace spokesperson emphasized to Vanity Fair that the updates should not be seen as an example of her returning to work.
The princess has not participated in any public royal engagements since Christmas Day. Weeks later, Kensington Palace announced that she would undergo “major abdominal surgery” in London in January. With a dearth of updates to follow, rampant speculation about Catherine's health and well-being ran wild, and was further exacerbated when the palace released a doctored photo of her on Mother's Day in the UK in March.
The unprecedented announcement about the princess's cancer appeared to come as a result of intense public pressure on the British royal family and as King Charles III is also being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer. The former Kate Middleton said she waited to share the news publicly so she could explain it to her young children first.
During that time, Catherine, an upper-middle-class commoner who married into the British royal family in 2011, had also been plagued by rumors about problems in her marriage. She said in her video announcement that it has been “an incredibly difficult couple of months” for her family, but having William by her side had been “a great source of comfort and peace of mind.”
