Prince William Suddenly Dropped Out His Godfather’s Memorial Service Amid Kate's Diagnosis

He was set to do a reading at the ceremony honoring his godfather, King Constantine of Greece.

Prince William and Kate Middleton
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Last month, Prince William abruptly dropped out of attending the ceremony honoring his godfather King Constantine of Greece. He was set to do a reading at the service, according to the order of service.

Constantine was the last King of Greece and passed away in January 2023 at age 82. William reportedly informed the late King's family that he was unable to attend the event ahead of time. This left Queen Camilla to formally lead the British royal family at the service, as she was stepping in for her husband, King Charles, who is also undergoing cancer treatment.

At the time, Kensington Palace merely stated that William had personal reasons for not attending, and specified that it was not related to the King's health. This led to speculation about Princess Catherine's wellbeing, which was further fuelled by the recent Photoshop scandal for Mother's Day.

Queen Camilla

Queen Camilla was the leading royal at this event so that Prince William could prioritize his family.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Today, Kensington Palace released a video of Kate Middleton updating the public on her health.

"It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family," she explained. "It was thought [in January] that my condition was non-cancerous...However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present." Kate also noted that she has begun preventative chemotherapy.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince William has been a huge source of support, Kate claims.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

William was most likely supporting his wife and three young children at the time. The couple is most concerned with their children in the wake of this saddening news and intentionally chose to reveal her cancer diagnosis today.

Fleurine Tideman
Freelance Writer

Fleurine Tideman is a freelance writer who is always ready to discuss celebrities, entertainment, mental health, relationships and anything else her busy brain comes up with. She comes from the small, rainy land of the Netherlands, but she uses the flexibility of her work to travel around Europe and explore new places. She spent several years working in the travel industry, which taught her how to fit insane amounts in her hand luggage. She has a degree in Psychology and Anthropology, which she uses to psychoanalyse herself and others. She’s a regular contributor for Betches, and you can also find her work on Pop Sugar, Insider, Time Out or her own blog, Symptoms of Living. At Marie Claire, she’ll be covering celebrity news, usually written to the sounds of Taylor Swift.