Kate Middleton shares rare message about her royal work amid cancer battle
Kate Middleton shares rare message about her royal work amid cancer battle
Kate Middleton is spilling some royal tea.
On Friday, the Princess of Wales, 42, posted a message on her and husband Prince William’s official social media accounts to congratulate TV presenter Dwayne Fields on becoming the new Chief Scout of Scouts UK.
In 2020, Princess Kate became joint president of the organization, working alongside the late Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent.
“Delighted to welcome @DwayneFields as the new UK Chief Scout,” the princess wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The Scouts is such an incredible organisation, teaching #SkillsForLife and making a huge difference to young people across the country.”
“Looking forward to working with you!” she concluded.
The future queen and king, 42, are both known for their sign-off on social media posts where they use the initials of their first names as shorthand to distinguish which messages come directly from them. This time, the blurb came from Kate, who wrote “C,” which stands for her full name Catherine.
The philanthropist also reposted the Scouts’ video on X, in which Fields reflected on how the scouting group has impacted him since he got involved at age 7.
“Born in Jamaica, Dwayne came to the UK when he was 6 years old. Growing up in North East London in Stoke Newington, with little access to nature, Scouts offered Dwayne access to the outdoors, new friendships and opened new horizons,” a statement read Friday.
The announcement explained how the organization gave Fields “skills, belief in himself and place to belong” when he became a Cub Scout as a young boy.
“Through his determination and support from his Scout volunteer leaders and friends, he set himself on a path to become the first Black Briton to reach the North Pole,” the statement continued. “He’s passionate about encouraging people from all backgrounds to explore nature, support their communities and be the best they can be.”
This organization is also close to Kate’s heart, as she was a Brownie alongside her sister Pippa, 41, while growing up.
In 2019, the royal family member revealed that she would love her kids Prince George, 11, and Princess Charlotte, 9, to follow in her footsteps during a 2019 visit to the Scouts headquarters in London.
“She said she would like them to go into the scouting community because she loves what it stands for — that it’s a very open and inclusive way into life,” said Kate’s tour guide, Lauren Noble. “She said it would be a great thing for them to get involved in.”
Princess Kate made her wish a reality during the Big Help Out volunteer day in 2023, following the coronation of King Charles. She and William volunteered alongside Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, 6, at the 3rd Upton Scout Group in Slough.
Kate’s social media post comes weeks after she was spotted heading to a morning service at Crathie Kirk church in the Scottish village of Crathie, near the family’s Balmoral Estate, amid her cancer treatment.
Kate, William and George were joined by King Charles III — who is also battling cancer — and his wife, Queen Camilla. Charles’ brother, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, attended the church service alongside their son, James.
In July, Kate stepped out at Wimbledon after spending most of 2024 out of the spotlight.
She has attended the tennis match almost every year since tying the knot in 2011 with William, and thanks to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, she has even been appointed to present prizes to the winners.
According to People, Kate’s appearance gave her “sustenance.”
“This will have given her sustenance,” a palace insider told the outlet. “She has gone through something awful and stressful, and it is crucial to have little wins to look forward to or to give you the courage and energy to go forward. And this was it.”
In March, Kate posted a video message announcing that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery,” the princess shared in the clip. “It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family.”
Kate had previously undergone abdominal surgery in January and hadn’t been seen since her announcement.
“But I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful,” she added at the time. “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful.”
After the operation, further testing confirmed cancer had been present.
“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” Kate continued. “This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time,” she went on. “It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, 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 OK.”
Royal expert Robert Jobson expressed that Kate remains tranquil, given the circumstances.