King Charles manages to raise a smile for the public as he leaves Windsor Castle after difficult weekend where Kate Middleton revealed her own battle with cancer

The king was photographed smiling at the crowd as he left Windsor Castle this morning after a difficult weekend for the royal family.

Weeks of intense speculation culminated on Friday evening in the Princess of Wales’s shock announcement about her cancer treatment.

Both the monarch and the Princess of Wales were admitted to the prestigious clinic in Marylebone, north London, in January while they underwent major surgery.

Insiders said King Charles, who was being treated for an enlarged prostate, walked out of his hospital bed and saw Princess Kate walking down the hallway.

At the time, Princess Kate had undergone abdominal surgery – believed not to be for a malignancy – but on Friday she revealed that post-operative tests had found signs of cancer.

Kate bravely shared her health status with the world in an unprecedented video speech.

Buckingham Palace shared Charles’ reaction to the shocking news, saying: His Majesty is ‘so proud of Catherine for her courage to speak as she did.’

‘Following their time together in hospital, HM has ‘remained in close contact with his beloved daughter-in-law in recent weeks’.

“Their Majesties will continue to offer their love and support to the entire family at this difficult time.”

After revealing the diagnosis, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wished her a ‘full and speedy recovery’.

He said: ‘My thoughts are with The Princess of Wales, The Prince of Wales, the Royal Family and especially her three children at this difficult time.

“The Princess of Wales has the love and support of the entire country as she continues her recovery.”

The NHS and charity websites have reportedly been flooded with questions about cancer since the Princess revealed her diagnosis.

Visits to the NHS’s online cancer pages have increased almost fivefold since the news broke, while Cancer Research UK and Macmillan have also reported a rise in clicks.

On Sunday, Sarah, Duchess of York, praised Kate’s decision to speak out about her cancer diagnosis – and the way it will raise public awareness.

The Duchess, who has battled breast and skin cancer herself, said she believes her fellow royal’s openness will help raise public awareness. “All my thoughts and prayers are with the Princess of Wales as she begins her treatment,” she posted on social media.

“I know she will be surrounded by the love of her family and everyone is praying for the best outcome.

A source said it had been “an incredibly tough few months for the whole family” and that it had been important for the Princess to come to terms with her diagnosis, recover from her surgery and start her road to recovery.

The Mail understands that Prince William will carry out assignments when the children return to school after the Easter holidays.

During this period, the couple’s children have been her priority.

It is clear that William and Kate wanted to tell their children at a time that was convenient for them, and that they wanted to understand and process the news before it became public.

As the children had left Lambrook School this afternoon for the Easter holidays, they decided this was the right time to share the statement.

Sources say that their concern recently, despite speculation in the global media and social media, was to put Catherine’s health and that of their children first.

It is now hoped, aides said, that the speculation surrounding the princess will come to an end.

Throughout it all, Prince William has masked his personal pain and put on a brave face during royal duties.

In February, he spoke with Holocaust survivor Renee Salt at the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in central London, where he took part in discussions about the rise of anti-Semitism in Britain.

It was his first public appearance after withdrawing from the memorial service for his godfather, the late King Constantine II of Greece, reportedly upon hearing about his wife’s diagnosis.

Then, just three days before Kate’s emotional video announcement, William attended a conference to help end homelessness at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield.

During his visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue, William was seen holding Mrs Salt’s hand as the 95-year-old told him: ‘I’m sorry, I’m sure if things would have gone well for your wife, she would have been here. I miss her so much. Please give her my best wishes.”

She talked about her experiences in a Nazi concentration camp, prompting William to ask, “How did you do it?”

She replied, “It wasn’t easy. Somehow I survived.” William held her hand as she described how her family has been affected by the rise of anti-Semitism in recent months.

William told her: ‘I’m so sorry it’s gotten to this stage, it will get better.’

He added: ‘We wanted to get closer to Holocaust Remembrance Day but unfortunately we had to move it, but we are happy to meet today.’

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, presented William with a bouquet of flowers for Kate as they stood with Rabbi Daniel Epstein, who has led the Marble Arch Synagogue with his wife Illana since 2021.

Three days before Kate’s emotional video announcement, William also attended a conference to help end homelessness at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield.

When Kate Josephs, CEO of Sheffield City Council, broached the subject of childhood, William immediately commented on the success of Kate’s projects in the early years.

He stretched out his palms and smiled and said, “I was venturing into my wife’s territory here. She needs to be sitting here to hear this.”

The sweet comment was touching at the time, but even more so now that we know why Kate couldn’t attend.

Returning to work for the first time following his wife’s abdominal surgery and his father’s cancer diagnosis, the Prince of Wales hosted a gala dinner for the Air Ambulance service and made a speech.

Despite everything that happened in his personal life, he still managed to make a joke, he said: “I would like to take this opportunity to also thank you for the kind expressions of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a lot to all of us.

‘It’s safe to say that the past few weeks have had a rather “medical” focus. So I thought I’d join an air ambulance service to get away from it all!’