Over the next weeks and months, there will be a lot of analysis of “why the internet was bad for talking about the Princess of Wales” and blame-gaming about who did what wrong. Multiple things can be true all at once: the online speculation about Kate absolutely became rude and unpleasant; Kensington Palace grossly mismanaged everything for months; and Buckingham Palace did little to step in and right the ship or provide cover, guidance or support for King Charles’s cancer-stricken daughter-in-law. If anything, we heard and saw repeatedly that Buckingham Palace was “quite enjoying” Kensington Palace’s disastrous public relations fiascoes, and Queen Camilla seemed downright gleeful at times as the “last royal standing.” I guess my point is that a lot of people are backtracking, including the king:

King Charles is supporting his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton amid her cancer diagnosis. On Friday, the Princess of Wales, 42, shared a personal video message that she is undergoing treatment after post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery in January “found cancer had been present.”

Charles, 75, who is also undergoing cancer treatment, is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson tells PEOPLE.

King Charles and Princess Kate were both hospitalized at The London Clinic in January, and the monarch has “remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks,” the spokesperson adds. Both King Charles and Queen Camilla “will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time.”

[From People]

Something I keep thinking about is how few times Charles has seen William and Kate in person this year. Charles reportedly checked in on Kate at the London Clinic in January and no one said William was there. There were also reports that Charles and William saw each other in Sandringham in February. But beyond that… are they just emailing? Talking to each other through staff? Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also released a statement:

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday that Kate, the Princess of Wales, should be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be with her family, following news that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.

“The Princess of Wales has the love and support of the whole country as she continues her recovery,” Sunak said in a statement. “She has shown tremendous bravery with her statement today. In recent weeks she has been subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media. When it comes to matters of health, like everyone else, she must be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be with her loving family.”

[From Reuters]

There were other public statements of support for Kate, including tweets from President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden as well. The Bidens regularly contact public figures dealing with cancer, especially after Beau’s death.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.