Prince William has just indicated that Kate Middleton’s cancer is far more serious than we thought

Kate Middleton has kept a low profile since she confirmed the reason she’d been out of the spotlight was because she’s undergoing cancer treatment. That’s understandable, as nobody undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy wants their appearance to be scrutinized by the world’s media.

In the weeks following the announcement, the conspiracy theories around Kate’s whereabouts died down, but the public is hungry for an update on her health. But, if some comments attributed to Prince William are accurate, bad news may be on the way.

Filling in for King Charles

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (the “CHOGM”) is held every two years. In recent history, the Monarch has either attended or sent a representative, with Queen Elizabeth II attending every meeting between 1973 and 2011, after which she had Charles (then Prince of Wales) represent her when she couldn’t travel.

The 2024 meeting is scheduled to take place in Samoa on Oct. 24, leaving Charles with a conundrum. As he is undergoing cancer treatment, he’s been advised against extensive traveling, with doctors recommending that he send another member of the Royal family on his behalf. Tradition indicates his replacement would be Prince William, the next-in-line to the throne. However, as per palace sources, “Attending the CHOGM is not something William can take on at this time due to Kate’s health.”

At first glance, this seems fairly innocuous and understandable. But if true, it indicates that William anticipates that Kate will still be severely ill six months from now. We can’t know what her official prognosis is, but if her treatment plan will span the best part of a year, then she’s in for a rough road over the summer and probably won’t be returning to public duties before 2025 at the earliest.

So where does this leave Charles and the CHOGM? It’s understood that the next Royal candidate that could attend would be Princess Anne, though she’s not considered a high-level enough Royal to represent the King. As such, Charles may have to drag himself out of his sickbed and fly halfway around the world to attend. William would know that this would be an ordeal for his father, so he’s presumably serious about staying near Kate during her cancer treatment.

As always, figuring out what’s going on behind closed doors at the Royal Palaces is like reading tea leaves. Whatever the truth, if William truly feels unable to travel in October due to Kate’s illness, we can assume her condition is quite grave.