Kate Reportedly ‘Hurt’ by Harry’s ‘Demoralizing’ Cancer Comments—‘the Damage Was Done’
What caused the rift between Prince William and Prince Charles? And how are Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle involved? This question has been asked many times, and there has never been a clear answer, as neither party has disclosed what happened between them. Sure, it’s easy to point to Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview and his memoir as things the Prince and Princess of Wales wouldn’t like, but is there something else?
According to royal author Christopher Andersen, Harry upset Kate by making “horribly demoralizing” comments about King Charles’ cancer battle, which caused a greater divide between the brothers.
Related: Did William really cheat on Kate?
Reportedly, Kate had been in favor of the brothers reconciling, but Harry’s negative tone about his father’s illness left her pretty “hurt,” as she’s also battled cancer. And while Kate was upset, William was allegedly “apoplectic with rage” over Harry’s comments made during a BBC interview in 2025, where he said he “didn’t know how much longer (his) father had,” and that’s why he was looking for reconciliation.
According to Andersen, “The damage was done: seeds of doubt concerning the King’s chances for a full recovery had been sown.”
The author claims Kat was “more disappointed than angry,” but Prince William was “apoplectic” with rage.
“William, who had already slammed the door shut on his brother over what Harry wrote in Spare, was, in the words of a courtier, ‘apoplectic’ with rage,” Andersen writes. “Now it was time to nail the door shut once and for all, and for the first time, Kate, who had worked harder than anyone to mend the rift between the brothers, willingly handed her husband a hammer.”
Andersen, the author of Kate! The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen, spoke to US Weekly and explained why this was probably the last straw for Kate. “I think Kate’s relationship with her father-in-law over their shared cancer battles really has made her much more sensitive to King Charles’s feelings,” he explained.
“She knows better than anyone that having someone publicly imply you may be at death’s door is horribly demoralising.”
Kate shared her own cancer diagnosis about a month after King Charles did. The king is still receiving treatment for his undisclosed cancer. Middleton, meanwhile, has been in recession since early 2025. “I’m sure Kate must have felt stung by that comment as well, since she is in a situation very similar to the king’s,” Andersen added.
This comes as reports indicate the king wants a reconciliation with his son. “Charles is at the point where he wants to forgive Harry and find a path forward, but William simply won’t hear of it, no matter what his father says,” an insider told the outlet.
“It’s become a huge battle because William carries enormous influence behind the scenes. And the truth is, many within the Firm still believe Harry and Meghan are toxic – so Charles doesn’t have much support when it comes to welcoming them back.”
Will the brothers ever reconcile? To be determined.
