Kate Middleton and Who Else in the Royal Family Has Had Cancer
Kate Middleton’s cancer announcement shocked royal watchers in March 2024. News of the diagnosis followed months of speculation after the Princess of Wales underwent a planned abdominal surgery. The latest on Kate’s health also came shortly after King Charles III revealed his cancer diagnosis.
While two working royals dealing with cancer diagnoses present a unique set of challenges, it is by no means uncharted territory for the House of Windsor. The United Kingdom’s ruling family has an extensive history of cancer among members of its family tree.
King Edward VII
King Edward VII sat on the throne for less than a year. The son of George V famously abdicated in December 1936 in order to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
Edward and Simpson married in 1937 and spent the rest of their lives together in France. By the 1960s, Edward’s health began to deteriorate. A throat cancer diagnosis in 1971, attributed to Edward’s history of smoking, led the royal to undergo cobalt therapy.
Edward VII died on May 28, 1972. He was 77 years old.
King George VI
George VI stepped into the role of king when his brother Edward abdicated. George went on to rule from Dec. 11, 1936, until his death on Feb. 6, 1952.
As king during World War II, George endured the challenges of leading Great Britain through wartime. It’s believed that the stress of war, along with smoking, contributed to the decline of George’s health. The king was diagnosed with lung cancer as well as arteriosclerosis and Buerger’s disease.
In September 1951, the discovery of a malignant tumor required the removal of his left lung. George never fully recovered from the operation; he died on Feb. 6, 1952, from a coronary thrombosis at the age of 56.
Princess Marina
Cases of cancer in the House of Windsor also extended to those who married into the family. Princess Marina married Prince George, son of King George V, in 1934.
Marina, the Duchess of Kent, acted as a prominent member of the royal family, even after her husband’s 1942 death in an aircraft accident. She died at Kensington Palace on Aug. 27, 1968, from an inoperable brain tumor. Marina was 61 years old.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
As the wife of King George VI, Elizabeth was queen from 1936 to 1952. She then spent another 50 years guiding her daughter through her reign.
While it was never disclosed during her lifetime, the Queen Mother’s colon cancer diagnosis came in 1966. A tumor was subsequently removed. Then, doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer in 1984. A lump was removed from her breast.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, died on March 30, 2002. She spent the previous few months experiencing a chest cold.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth earned the honor of the longest-serving British monarch, holding her title from 1952 to 2022. She ascended to the throne following the death of her father, George VI.
According to her death certificate, Queen Elizabeth’s official cause of death was “old age”; the queen was 96 years old at the time of her death. But according to journalist Gyles Brandreth, the queen also had multiple myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer, when she died.
The Palace neither confirmed nor denied Brandreth’s report. It’s worth noting that the House of Windsor has contested past media claims of cancer diagnoses among the royal family.
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah Ferguson joined the British royal family when she married Prince Andrew in 1986. She became the Duchess of York, holding the position until her divorce in 1996.
Despite ending her marriage to Andrew, she continued to capture the attention of British media. She also remained close to her ex-husband and by extension, the royal family.
In June 2023, Sarah announced her breast cancer diagnosis. She had a successful single mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. A skin cancer diagnosis followed in January 2024 when doctors discovered malignant melanoma in moles removed from her body.
King Charles III
King Charles III waited 73 years to become king, thanks to his mother’s lengthy reign. He ascended the throne on Sept. 8, 2022.
Charles’ health began making headlines in January 2024. He underwent treatment for a prostate enlargement, forcing the monarch to cancel several public appearances. Buckingham Palace announced in February that doctors diagnosed King Charles with cancer. The exact type was not revealed, but prostate cancer was ruled out.
Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton has long been one of the most popular royal family members. She married Prince William in 2011, and the couple share three children.
The Princess of Wales had a planned abdominal procedure in January 2024. The House of Windsor announced she’d return to royal duties by the end of March. But when Kate failed to make any public appearances, provided no updates, and released a doctored photo, conspiracy theories and speculation ran rampant.
On March 22, Kate Middleton announced doctors diagnosed her with cancer. The disease was apparently discovered during a follow-up for her abdominal surgery. The princess did not disclose the type of cancer.
