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Easter will be a more intimate affair for the royal family this year, primarily for Kate Middleton and King Charles III as they both undergo cancer treatment.
ET has learned that Prince William, 41, and the Princess of Wales, 42, were seen departing Adelaide Cottage in Windsor by helicopter on Saturday with their children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 — to head towards Anmer Hall, located on the Sandringham Estate. The family will be spending the kids’ Easter school break at their country home, which also gives them an opportunity to see King Charles, 75.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will not be attending Easter services with the rest of family. Instead, they’ll spend time privately while Kate recuperates.
On Friday, the Princess of Wales announced that she was recently diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative rounds of chemotherapy.
A source tells ET that King Charles is hoping to attend a small gathering with family for Easter service as his doctors have advised him to limit his contact with others amid his own cancer treatment. His cancer — which has not been specified by Buckingham Palace officials — was discovered in February after a routine procedure for an enlarged prostate. He has been recuperating at Sandringham Estate alongside his wife, Queen Camilla, since then.
This year’s festivities will be a major departure from the family’s typical lineup of events, which includes Easter service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. The source adds that it’s possible the group could attend church in Sandringham together to mark the holiday.
The update comes just days after Kate appeared publicly for the first time in months since her own winter abdominal surgery and amid rampant conspiracy theories and speculation over her whereabouts. Despite Kensington Palace initially stating that she would not return to her royal duties until approximately Easter, the public was irked by the lack of visibility and theories ran wild.
Appearing in a video shared by the Palace, Kate revealed that while doctors first thought her condition to be non-cancerous, post-op tests ”found cancer had been present.” She added, “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”
“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,” she added in her video statement. “As you can imagine, this has taken time. 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 Louie in a way that’s appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be okay. As I said to them, I am well, and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal. In my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort.”
It has not been confirmed via the palace nor Kate what type of cancer the Princess of Wales is currently battling, only that she’s now undergoing chemo treatment.
Following the video’s release, a source shared with ET that Kate filmed the address on March 20, and she started receiving cancer treatment shortly after her surgery in January. William and Kate struggled to tell their children, the source explained, because they wanted to shield them as much as possible.
“Children process information in different ways. Their primary concern was to be able to explain this to the children in a way that was reassuring, and they could process,” the source said.
For more coverage of Kate’s health timeline and the royals, check out the headlines and links below.
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