Kate Middleton and Prince William might find themselves stepping into the roles of king and queen sooner than they expected as King Charles continues his battle with cancer, according to a royal biographer.
“Although the King is carrying out his duties with typical determination, he has had to accept limitations during his cancer treatment,” Sally Bedell Smith shared with People in an article published on Wednesday.
“As a result, William has been taking on more responsibilities, and he and Kate have been preparing for their future roles sooner than they would have expected,” Smith added.
In May 2023, King Charles, at the age of 76, was officially crowned. However, less than a year later, in February 2024, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer following what was described as a “routine hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement.”
An insider shared with the outlet, “there’s a sense of calm before the storm” when it comes to the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“They are next in line for the biggest job of their lives, and of course, Kate’s health has taken priority, but it’s also allowed everyone to take a step back and figure out what’s important right now.”
Earlier this month, Prince William offered a clear sign of his preparation for his future responsibilities when he represented his father at the official reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Meanwhile, it has been a challenging year for the 42-year-old Princess of Wales.
In January, the Palace revealed that she would need to undergo a significant abdominal procedure.
Unfortunately, after the mother of three stayed out of the public eye for several months post-surgery, malicious and baseless rumors began to spread.
In March, the Princess disclosed in a deeply personal video that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
She shared that the news had been a “huge shock” and explained why they had initially kept it private, allowing their children — Prince George (10), Princess Charlotte (8), and Prince Louis (5) — the time they needed to “understand and process the news before it was made public.”
By September, the royal posted another update through a video, announcing that she had “finally completed my chemotherapy treatment.”
Middleton referred to the experience as being “complex, scary and unpredictable.”
In her latest public appearance, she attended the fourth annual “Together at Christmas” carol service at Westminster Abbey, accompanied by Prince William and their children.
During the event, she was overheard confiding in pop star Paloma Faith, admitting that it had been a challenging year for her.
“I didn’t know this year was going to be the year that I’ve just had,” Middleton revealed.
