Prince William speaks out about Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis, making a heartfelt promise to her
Prince William has visited the charity Surplus to Supper in Surrey today, where he was given get well cards for both the Princess of Wales and the King and looked visibly moved
Prince William promised to "look after" the Princess of Wales as he made his first public appearance since her cancer announcement a month ago.
The Prince of Wales, 41, gave a helping hand loading food and cooking in the kitchen at food distribution charity Surplus to Supper, in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey. Volunteer Rachel Candappa, 71, handed two get well soon cards to the Prince addressed to the King and Kate. William, who looked visibly moved, said: "Thank you, you are very kind". When Rachel told the heir to the throne to look after Kate he placed his left hand on her shoulder and promised "I will". Speaking afterwards Rachel, of Sunbury-on-Thames, said: "I said take care of her and he said ’I will’.
"I was at home at 8.30 last night and I thought I had to do something this is a chance to give a card directly to the palace officials. I didn’t think I’d be able to give the cards to William. I said ’can I shake your hand?’, I loved it, he was very down to earth. I’m never washing my hand again.
"He pointed at the food and said ‘that’s spaghetti hoops’ and I asked ‘how do you know about spaghetti hoops and he said ’I’ve got children’."
Founded in 2017, Surplus to Supper sources and distributes an average of 10 tons of food per week to food banks, schools, care homes, religious organisations and youth centres. At the charity he made a donation of supplies from his own personal kitchen, chopped vegetables and helped to load prepared meals into delivery vans. After he travelled to a youth centre in West London, which benefits from the organisation’s deliveries.
Kensington Palace previously said: "Reducing food waste has a considerable number of environmental benefits, including reducing emissions from landfill that contribute to climate change. Protecting the environment for future generations is one of the Prince of Wales’s key priorities."
William, 41, has spent the past three-and-a-half weeks with his wife and children during the Easter holiday, as the family took time to process Kate’s diagnosis. In a video message to the nation on March 22, Kate asked that time, space and privacy be afforded to her family following her chemotherapy announcement.
She said: "I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. 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."
Since revealing the diagnosis, the Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be "enormously touched" and "extremely moved" by the public’s warmth and support. The family all missed the Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, following the announcement, despite attending last year.
William’s last public engagement before today came on March 19, when he visited Sheffield to promote his Homewards homelessness campaign. Kensington Palace previously said that William would resume public engagements after the school holidays, on a reduced timetable as he continues to support Kate through her treatment.
William was seen taking his eldest son Prince George to an Aston Villa football match last week, watching his boyhood club beat Lille in the Europa Conference League at Villa Park in his first public outing since Kate’s announcement.Her cancer was discovered in post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery in January.
Meanwhile, yesterday, William expressed his support for families bereaved by suicide in the armed forces community, telling them: "Please know that you are not alone". He had written a foreword for a series of guides for military veterans and their loved ones published by Suicide Bereavement UK on Wednesday.
The prince described how he and Kate had met many bereaved families over the years and understood the "power that comes from sharing experiences". He said it was "essential that the voices of those bereaved by suicide are heard". He added: "There is no time limit to processing grief, but Catherine and I have met many bereaved families over the years and know the power that comes from sharing experiences, even in the most tragic of circumstances."
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