Cancer-stricken Kate Middleton ‘doesn’t need Meghan or Harry to comfort her’, a royal expert has claimed.
Sally Bedell Smith stressed that the Princess of Wales is receiving plenty of support from other members of the royal family as she copes with her shock diagnosis.
“She has her parents and a sister, and she’s very close to King Charles,” Smith told New York Times star columnist Maureen Dowd.
Kate revealed she is undergoing cancer treatment in an emotional video statement released on Friday Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to express their well wishes for her recovery.
Smith’s comments came after she made headlines for comparing the Duchess of Sussex to American divorcee Wallis Simpson, claiming both were “very narcissistic, very controlling and very dominant.”
Cancer-stricken Kate Middleton ‘doesn’t need Meghan or Harry to comfort her’, a royal expert has claimed
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry expressed their well wishes for Kate’s recovery after the Prince of Wales released a statement revealing her cancer diagnosis
Sally Bedell Smith (pictured) stressed that the Princess of Wales is receiving plenty of support from other members of the Royal Family as she copes with her shock diagnosis
“Meghan has announced she is taking a completely different path and starting a new brand with the most bizarre name,” Smith added, referring to Meghan’s US lifestyle company Riviera Orchard.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to have had ‘private’ contact with the Prince and Princess of Wales last night.
It is not clear whether the contact was a phone call, a video call or a series of messages of support. It is not known whether Harry would fly back to Britain.
They also released a statement to Harper’s Bazaar magazine, saying: “We wish Kate and the family health and healing.”
Kate received support from her father-in-law, King Charles, who released a statement saying he was proud of her “bravery” and who herself was diagnosed with cancer just a month ago.
In her statement, the Princess of Wales revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer in January following a ‘planned abdominal operation’.
She said she had postponed making a public announcement so she and her husband Prince William could tell their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Her statement came amid mounting speculation about the princess’s whereabouts in the months following her surgery.
Smith said she hoped this would stop further conspiracy theories and allow her to recover.
Smith previously took a swipe at “very narcissistic, very controlling, very dominant” Meghan
The two couples, once dubbed the ‘Fab Four’, have not been seen together in public since the Queen’s funeral (Pictured September 10, 2022)
“I hope they will show common decency, something they may not have in great abundance. I hope they will stop speculating about all kinds of terrible and ridiculous things.’
But she admitted that online speculation on social media is “much harder to control.”
Smith said her royal sources are “trying to get to grips with this maelstrom of opinion, speculation and cruel theories” and are “in shock.”
Kate and William’s relationship with Harry and Meghan has fractured in recent years.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, had previously described Kate as the “big sister I never had” after she got engaged to Harry in 2016.
However, his relationship with the Prince and Princess of Wales collapsed in the bitter aftermath of Megxit, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to step back from their royal duties.
Meghan was accused of making Kate cry ahead of her 2018 wedding, but later told Oprah it was Kate who made her cry.
The tension between the two women arose when relations between Prince William and Prince Harry came to a standstill.
Kate last met Harry after the Queen’s death in September 2022, when they went on a walk around Windsor with their husbands.
Last week the rift between William and Harry became more than apparent when the brothers dueled at a memorial event for their mother, Princess Diana, with William leaving the ceremony before Harry joined via video link.
King Charles greets Kate at an event at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2021. The King’s offer praised the Princess’s “courage” after her announcement
Sally Bedell Smith stressed that the Princess of Wales is receiving plenty of support from other members of the royal family as she copes with her shock diagnosis
Kate’s revelation followed a statement from Buckingham Palace revealing that King Charles had also been diagnosed with cancer.
In February, the palace confirmed that Charles had been diagnosed with a form of cancer other than prostate cancer, which was discovered while the king was being treated for an enlarged prostate at the private London clinic.
The king has postponed public duties, but it is said that he continues to work behind the scenes on his red boxes: his state affairs and official papers.
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.”
Royal biographer Smith praised Queen Camilla who fulfilled his public duties during the recovery.
“She was incredible,” Smith said. ‘One day she is in the Isle of Man, the next day in Northern Ireland, looking cheerful and sending good wishes to Charles.
Prince William attends The Diana Legacy Awards at the Science Museum on March 14 – before making a hasty exit ahead of Prince Harry’s appearance via video link
Someone in the crowd commented that men are difficult patients, and Camilla laughed and said she was doing her best.”
Sarah, Duchess of York, became the third royal in a row to announce a medical procedure in early 2024 when she revealed a diagnosis of malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
The princess is now on what is being described as a ‘recovery journey’ after starting a course of chemotherapy at the end of February.
It is for this reason that Prince William pulled out of a memorial service for his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece.
Kensington Palace has urged people not to speculate about her cancer.
However, they say she is “in good spirits and focused on her recovery.”
“She is extremely grateful to the medical team for the care they provide her,” the spokesperson said. ‘She now needs time, space and privacy to complete her treatment and make a full recovery.’