Kate Middleton’s Kids Reportedly Lifting Spirits with Their Smiles | Vanity Fair

By Erin Vanderhoof

When Kate Middleton announced her recent cancer diagnosis in a somber video late last month, she provided one explanation for delaying her disclosure to the public. She said that she and her husband Prince William were taking time to explain her condition to their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. In the weeks since the announcement, the family has been spending the children’s spring break privately.

According to a “longtime” family friend who spoke to People, the children “buoy [their parents] with smiles back” and are helping to support Kate through her challenging diagnosis. “You take heart from the extraordinary resilience of children,” the friend said. “Having fun together when they can is very important… The children are at the center of their world.”

Kate reportedly wrote the words she delivered about her diagnosis herself, and the video was filmed in the family’s backyard in Windsor, where they live in a modest home near the castle.

“It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay,” she said in the video released March 22. “As I have said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal, in my mind, body, and spirits.”

King Charles III is also facing a recent cancer diagnosis, and a family friend recently told Vanity Fair that the turn of events has strengthened the relationship between the king and his daughter-in-law. “Charles adores Kate and has so much respect for her and the courage she has shown in all of this,” the friend said. “He was fully behind her recording the message. He has been buoyed by the many messages of support he has received, and he knew that Kate would get the same support from the public.”