New Princess Kate Biography Offers Clues About the Type of Cancer She Had
Kate Middleton’s new biography may finally reveal the cancer she is battling and the difficult treatment journey she faced.
Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis came as devastating news for royal fans and non-fans alike. Back in 2024, the Princess of Wales publicly announced the diagnosis through a prerecorded video message. In the video, she explained that she underwent abdominal surgery and that doctors initially believed her condition was non-cancerous. However, tests after the surgery found that “cancer had been present.”
But she did not reveal what type of cancer she has, and the palace also never confirmed it. However, in Christopher Andersen’s new biography titled Kate!: The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen, the royal biographer seems to reveal new details about the diagnosis. According to the author, the Princess of Wales had reportedly been struggling with abdominal pain for weeks before she was admitted for what Kensington Palace described as a “planned abdominal surgery” in January 2024.
While he says he cannot confirm the exact cause behind the procedure, he also claims the medical team brought in for the operation was quietly flown over from Italy and had previously worked with Pope Francis. She was first told that the surgery had gone smoothly. But just three days later, doctors informed her that lab tests had uncovered cancerous cells, leading to the recommendation that she begin what was described as “preventive therapy.”
The new book claims that when Middleton received the news, she told a friend, “It felt as if the bottom of my world suddenly fell out. It felt like I had literally been kicked in the stomach.” Although Anderson does not know what type of cancer she had, he does mention speculation from Giampaolo Tortora, the director of the cancer center linked to the Italian hospital where her doctors reportedly came from. Tortora said that women who experience severe morning sickness can face a higher risk of bladder cancer. He also reportedly floated ovarian, uterine, and colon cancer as possible explanations.
Anderson also paints a much more personal picture of how difficult the treatment period was for Middleton behind closed doors. He writes that she often felt completely exhausted, sometimes struggling to even stand. While she tried to keep life as normal as possible for her children, he claims she would often “collapse on the sofa” once they left for school.
He also addresses the noticeable weight loss she experienced during treatment, pushing back against online rumors about an eating disorder. She even chose to wear a striped Erdem sweater in her cancer announcement video because it helped hide just how much weight she had lost. And when that video was finally released after weeks of intense public speculation, he claims Prince Harry and Meghan Markle learned about Kate’s diagnosis at the same time as everyone else watching.
In 2025, the future Queen announced that she was in remission after receiving treatment. Furthermore, Kensington Palace confirmed that she is set to take her first overseas trip on May 13 and 14 to Italy.
