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(NewsNation) — The world heaved a sigh of relief earlier this week when Kensington Palace released a video of Princess Catherine, Prince William and their children, saying the princess had finished chemotherapy and would return to (limited) public duties.
In the video the princess narrated, she said:
“This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved…Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes… I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.”
However, my inside sources who speak with the Palace regularly say, both Catherine and Charles are, despite the bucolic picture painted in the video, not doing very well at all.
“(Kate) is not in remission and not cancer-free,” my insider said. “She’s not in good shape at all… it’s going to be a tough road ahead for both her and Charles. I had thought Charles was more treatable but both of them are not well.”
The concern is “one of them won’t live very long” and “plans need to be in place.”
Kensington Palace didn’t return emails.
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CAMBERLEY, ENGLAND – APRIL 14: King Charles III inspects the 200th Sovereign’s parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on April 14, 2023 in Camberley, England. The parade marks the end of 44 weeks of training for 171 Officer Cadets. It is the first time King Charles III has inspected Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst since becoming Monarch. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 10: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales reads the Queen’s speech next to her Imperial State Crown in the House of Lords Chamber, during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords at the Palace of Westminster on May 10, 2022 in London, England. The State Opening of Parliament formally marks the beginning of the new session of Parliament. It includes Queen’s Speech, prepared for her to read from the throne, by her government outlining its plans for new laws being brought forward in the coming parliamentary year. This year the speech will be read by the Prince of Wales as HM The Queen will miss the event due to ongoing mobility issues. (Photo by Alastair Grant – WPA Pool/Getty Images) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 14: Catherine, Princess of Wales attends day fourteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 14: Princess Charlotte of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales court-side of Centre Court during the men’s final on day fourteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) -
Britain’s King Charles III wearing the Imperial State Crown and Britain’s Queen Camilla, wearing the George IV State Diadem, attend the State Opening of Parliament, at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Justin Tallis/POOL via AP) -
Britain’s King Charles III, centre right, and Queen Camilla, right, view a rare Golden Guernsey Goats during a visit to Les Cotils at L’Hyvreuse, in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey during their two day visit to the Channel Islands, Tuesday July 16, 2024. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP) -
FILE – Britain’s Prince Charles, right, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wave as they prepare to depart Perth, Australia, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. King Charles III is preparing to visit Australia and Samoa in October 2024, an itinerary that will span 12 time zones and test the monarch’s stamina as he recovers from cancer treatment. The trip was announced on Sunday, July 14, 2024, by Buckingham Palace. (Paul Kane/Pool via AP, File ) -
King Charles III meets Idris Elba, left, and young people attend an event for The King’s Trust to discuss youth opportunity, at St James’s Palace in central London, Friday July 12, 2024. The King and Mr Elba, an alumnus of The King’s Trust (formerly known as The Prince’s Trust), are meeting about the charity’s ongoing work to support young people, and creating positive opportunities and initiatives which might help address youth violence in the UK, as well as the collaboration in Sierra Leone between the Prince’s Trust International and the Elba Hope Foundation. (Yui Mok/pool photo via AP) -
Britain’s King Charles III, right, speaks with Keir Starmer where he invited the Labour Party leader to become prime minister and to form a new government, following the landslide general election victory for the Labour Party, in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (Yui Mok, Pool Photo via AP) -
Britain’s King Charles III waves as he arrives for a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The King, Patron of Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, and Queen Camilla visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, meeting patients and staff. This visit is to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and will highlight some of the innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, which is taking place at the hospital. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) -
Britain’s King Charles III attends a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. (Yoan Valat, Pool via AP, File) -
FILE – Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave The London Clinic in central London, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. King Charles III plans to travel to France next month for British ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, while skipping the larger international event a few miles away as he continues to be treated for cancer. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File) -
From left, Britain’s Prince George, Prince William, Prince Louis, Kate, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to view the flypast following the Trooping the Color ceremony in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Trooping the Color is the King’s Birthday Parade and one of the nation’s most impressive and iconic annual events attended by almost every member of the Royal Family. (James Manning/PA via AP)
King Charles isn’t taking Prince Harry’s calls
One of the reasons Charles isn’t taking calls from Harry is the stress associated with him.
Sources close to Harry told People last month the monarch no longer takes his son’s calls or responds to his letters.
“He gets ‘unavailable right now,'” a friend of Harry’s told the magazine. “His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.”
“After the brickbats, ‘truth bombs’ and accusations of Oprah, Netflix and Harry’s ‘Spare,’ he lost his older brother, strained his relationship with various members of the royal family to breaking point and left many old friends and trusted staff behind,” royal expert Emily Andrews wrote in Woman magazine, via the Mirror.
“Now, even his own father is not taking his calls. I’m told that when courtiers bring the phone to the king, he waves them away in irritation.”
But my sources point to the fact that anyone undergoing treatment for cancer must lead as stress-free of a life as possible — and that Harry with his constant complaining and whining about security is the opposite of stress-free.
“He’s very self-centered,” my source added. “He wants what he wants and has rarely been told no. Until now. When he left the Firm, that was it. They bent over backwards to make sure he understood what would happen — especially with security — but he keeps thinking he can (browbeat) his dad. It’s not good for (Charles’) health at all.”
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CALI, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 18: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex seen at the Unidad Recreativa El Vallado on August 18, 2024 in Cali, Colombia. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images) -
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 15: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex pose for a photo at Centro Nacional de las Artes Delia Zapata during a visit to Colombia on August 15, 2024 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Diego Cuevas/Getty Images) -
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 15: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex speaks onstage during a forum about digital responsibility at EAN University during a visit around Colombia on August 15, 2024 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Diego Cuevas/Getty Images) -
CALI, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 18: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex seen at the Unidad Recreativa El Vallado on August 18, 2024 in Cali, Colombia. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images) -
CALI, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 18: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the Afro-Descendant Women and Power: Voice of Equity at the Teatro Municipal on August 18, 2024 in Cali, Colombia. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images)
Prince Harry’s documentary promo ‘tacky’
And of course, there’s the fact that anything the Palace does, the Sussexes will try to outshine or piggyback on to. The most recent example: The day Catherine’s announcement was made, Netflix tweeted out a promotion and stills for Harry’s new documentary on Polo, saying: “POLO is a new documentary series that follows elite global players and offers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced world of the sport. From Archewell Productions and Boardwalk Pictures. Premiering this December.”
“It’s just so… tacky,” my insider sighed.
