Following the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis, the family of the late Dame Deborah James have spoken out as they praised the royal for sharing the news.
Deborah died in June 2022 following a battle with bowel cancer. She was just 40. Before her death, Prince William had honoured her with a damehood for raising awareness of bowel cancer.
Following Kate’s cancer diagnosis, which she shared with the world in a video message on Friday (March 22), Deborah’s family have sent the royal their well wishes.
Princess of Wales cancer diagnosis
Speaking to The Sun, Deborah‘s parents Heather and Alistair James said: “Kate, William and their family are in our thoughts, and we send all our love from our family to theirs.
“Deborah would be so proud. The Princess of Wales has shown incredible courage in speaking out so publicly about her treatment. It takes huge bravery to do so, but her bravery will help millions of cancer patients and their families face this horrible disease.
“What’s more, in being so open and honest, Kate will undoubtedly encourage many more people who are living with potential symptoms of cancer, to seek medical help. In doing so, she will save lives.”
They went on to say that if Deborah was here, she’d tell the Princess of Wales to “hold on to rebellious hope,” a slogan Deborah lived by when she was battling cancer.
Heather and Alistair said they believe Deborah’s positive mindset helped her “keep going” and “gave us five years of precious memories together”.
During her battle with bowel cancer, Deborah raised £11.3m for cancer research through her Bowelbabe fund. She was honoured with a damehood in May 2022 – weeks before her death.
View this post on Instagram
At the time, the Prince of Wales praised Deborah for being “brave and inspirational”. He said during a royal visit: “It’s so difficult to talk about. But they were very open. I was asked lots of questions. It got me quite moved that they wanted to hear those answers, it was so open. She is a brave and inspirational woman.”
Kate shared her cancer news in a video message on Friday. It came after weeks of speculation about her health following her abdominal surgery in January.
In the video address, the Princess of Wales explained: “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. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.”
Kate’s cancer video
She added: “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. This of course came as a huge shock.”
Kate also opened up about how she told her children – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.
She said: “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.”
Read more: Why Princess Kate ‘didn’t tell Harry and Meghan’ about cancer diagnosis: ‘They had no idea’
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.