Prince William Reportedly Under Pressure Amid Kate’s Cancer Diagnosis: ‘It’s Been Stressful’

Prince William is reportedly struggling to handle the pressure that has come along with Princess Kate Middleton’s and King Charles III’s recent cancer diagnoses.

“It’s been stressful,” a source revealed to Us Weekly in an article published on Wednesday, April 17. “William feels a profound sense of duty to uphold the monarchy’s stability and inspire confidence in the public that everything will be OK. It’s an immense responsibility.”

It comes as no surprise that William, 41, has been feeling the strain of his role considering all that the monarchy has dealt with since Charles, 75, ascended the throne.

“It was always anticipated that Charles would have three working siblings and two working children and their wives, and that would be a sustainable footing,” royal historian Gareth Russell said.

However, things have not turned out the way the king ever expected. In 2020, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle took a step back from their royal duties and famously left the U.K. for California. Tensions between Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, and the rest of the family have been fraught ever since.

On January 17, palace officials announced that Kate, 42, had undergone a planned abdominal surgery and would remain hospitalized for two weeks. Just hours after the news broke, royal reps revealed that Charles had been scheduled to undergo treatment for a benign prostate issue. On February 5, the palace revealed that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, although they didn’t specify the type.

“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer,” read a statement from Buckingham Palace.“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.”

Less than two months after the announcement, sources exclusively revealed to In Touch that Charles had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

As weeks passed and Kate was absent from the public eye, the public began to speculate about her whereabouts. Rumors began to swirl online and wild conspiracy theories ranging from plastic surgery gone wrong to a medically induced coma began to take hold. A botched photo editing job on Britain’s Mother’s Day on March 10 seemed to fuel the theories as more and more people became concerned about Kate’s wellbeing. However, Kate revealed she was behind the edits in a statement on the following day.

On March 22, Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis in a statement she wrote herself. While she also didn’t specify the form of cancer she was battling, Kate said that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy as part of her treatment.