Prince William was asked how his wife, Kate Middleton, is doing as she takes a break from public life following her cancer diagnosis.
Prince William said his wife Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, is feeling better as he greeted veterans ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
At a tribute event on Wednesday to mark the historic day—observed on June 6 as the start of operations that would lead to the end of World War II—the Prince of Wales gave a reading in the English city of Portsmouth.
One elderly veteran who fought in the war eight decades ago asked William if Kate is “getting any better” following her cancer diagnosis, which she revealed in a video address shared on March 22.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]“She is better, thanks. She would’ve loved to be here today,” William appears to have told the man.
There have been different reiterations of William’s response. When a video of the interaction was shared on X (formerly Twitter), one user flagged the Prince of Wales’ reply as “yes, she’s doing really well.”
William added that Kate’s grandmother Valerie Middleton worked as a member of staff at Bletchley Park, the celebrated site of the U.K.’s Government Code and Cypher School where Alan Turing and other British cryptologists cracked the Enigma code in 1941.
Since beginning “preventative chemotherapy,” Kate has retreated from the spotlight and her public-facing duties have been canceled. A mother of three, the royal has kept her prognosis largely private but described the news of her health condition as a “huge shock” in March’s video. She added that she is “getting stronger every day.”
King Charles III also took part in this week’s D-Day events after largely postponing public-facing duties. The King announced his own diagnosis with an undisclosed form of cancer in February, and took time away to receive treatment.
On Wednesday, His Majesty delivered a speech honoring the “courage, resilience and solidarity” of those who participated in the invasion of Normandy, a key battle in the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.
“It is our duty to ensure that we and future generations do not forget their service and their sacrifice in replacing tyranny with freedom,” the King told attendees in Portsmouth. He was joined by Queen Camilla and the couple appeared visibly emotional as veterans recounted their stories of war.