A worldwide outpouring of love for the Princess of Wales

Rishi Sunak was on a visit to the East Midlands on Friday morning when he was informed about the impending statement on the Princess of Wales’s health, meaning that the shock that would ripple across the country descended on the Prime Minister hours earlier.

The moment put in train a meticulously planned sequence of events overseen by Ian Patrick, the Prince of Wales’s private secretary, to break the news to the nation that the Princess was undergoing treatment for cancer.

Mr Sunak was briefed after details of the Princess’s statement were conveyed to Elizabeth Perelman, his trusted principal private secretary – Mr Patrick’s opposite number in Downing Street. As is convention, the Cabinet Office went on to inform Sir Keir Starmer about the Princess’s video message that would be broadcast at 6pm that day.

The advance notice gave both men’s teams the opportunity to prepare their own statements expressing warm support for the Princess and her young family.

Mr Sunak’s statement, published on Twitter, at 6.03pm, only seconds after the Princess’s video message finished playing on the BBC’s 6pm news bulletin, notably warned that she “must be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be with her loving family”.

Similarly, Sir Keir, in a written message posted on Twitter 13 minutes later, warned that “their Royal Highnesses are entitled to privacy”, adding that they, “like any parents, will have waited to choose the right moment to tell their children”.

The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, both of whom also have school-age children, were uniting in a protective formation around the Princess, who had been subjected to what Sir Keir described as “lurid”, unfounded speculation about her health in recent weeks.

Such was the anger in Whitehall over wild and ghoulish claims about the Princess’s health and whereabouts that the Prime Minister had previously considered a public intervention to demand that the couple be left alone to deal with what was, by any account, a private medical matter.

That urge was at its strongest when it was reported on Tuesday that the hospital where the Princess underwent abdominal surgery in January was investigating claims staff tried to access her medical notes. But he was loath to risk adding fuel to the fire being created by online arsonists.

“The PM felt very strongly that Princess Catherine was entitled to absolute privacy on a personal health matter, and had been appalled by the wild speculation,” said a source close to Mr Sunak.

“He had been reluctant to intervene before to try and afford the royals some privacy as saying anything risked further fuelling the trolls.”

A hint of Mr Sunak’s concern did, however, emerge in a briefing with political journalists on Wednesday, when his press secretary said: “As a general point, everyone in public life has a right to privacy when it comes to their private health records. Obviously we don’t comment on royal matters but that point stands.”

Unbeknown to Mr Sunak, at this point the wheels were already in motion for the Princess to put an end to such speculation herself. On the same day a production crew from BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the corporation, was on location at Windsor to film the two-minute clip in which the Princess set out the “huge shock” that the diagnosis had caused, as well as her insistence that “I am going to be OK”.

She was said to have wanted to deliver a video message in order to make the announcement as personal as possible.

While the Princess began her course of chemotherapy treatment in February, she explained in the video that it had taken her and the Prince “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 OK”.

Sir Keir’s statement included a nod to that specific point, saying that the couple “like any parents, will have waited to choose the right moment to tell their children.”

At 3.30pm on Friday, seemingly out of the blue, Kensington Palace notified royal correspondents that it would be holding a briefing just half an hour later relating to the Princess.

The message sparked a flurry of activity in newsrooms across London, where editors prepared to tear up existing plans for newspaper and website front pages.

BBC News was given no advance notice of the announcement by virtue of BBC Studios’ involvement in filming the statement, meaning that its correspondents discovered the news alongside other reporters at 4pm.

In that briefing, a transcript of the Princess’s statement was read out to journalists, who were left rushing to write up the news before the video message was broadcast at 6pm, when it was also posted on Kensington Palace’s social media accounts.

The White House was informed of the Princess’s diagnosis by British officials shortly before 6pm – 2pm there. Joe Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, arrived at the White House briefing room ready to address the news.

Ms Jean-Pierre opened the briefing by telling the reporters crammed into the room: “I wanted to just start off at the top – obviously, all of us just heard the terrible news.

“Our thoughts are with the Duchess of Cambridge and her family members and friends during this incredibly difficult time. And certainly, we wish her a full recovery.”

One royal observer noted drily that, in fact, the White House may have benefited from slightly more notice, given the error in the statement before it was read out – the Duchess of Cambridge title became defunct when William and Catherine became the Prince and Princess of Wales following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022.

Ms Jean-Pierre struck a similar tone to Mr Sunak and Sir Keir, saying: “I think it’s important that we respect their privacy, especially at this time, so I’m not going to go further than that.”

“I know folks are going to ask if the president has spoken to her or the family,” she said, but declined to disclose further details.

Jill Biden, the first lady, posted on Twitter shortly afterwards as she shared the Princess’s video announcement:

The US president followed later, with a message of his own: “Jill and I join millions around the world in praying for your full recovery, Princess Kate”.

The devastation that cancer can cause is all too familiar to the Bidens. The president’s eldest son, Beau, died from a brain tumour in 2015. The couple also appear to have developed a fondness for the Prince and Princess, following in the footsteps of a strong relationship previously forged between the royal couple and the Obamas.

Similarly warm greetings flowed in from leaders across the world.

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, spoke not just for himself and his wife, but for many, when he said: “Your Highness, In this difficult period you are going through, Brigitte and I wish you a full recovery. Your strength and resilience inspire us all.”

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