Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun chemotherapy, she announced in a video message on Friday, in which she described the past two months as “incredibly tough for our entire family.”

It comes after a period of intense uncertainty about the health of Catherine, who underwent abdominal surgery in January and largely disappeared from public view as she tried to recuperate.

Like the king, Catherine, 42, did not specify what kind of cancer she has, but asked the public and news media to respect her desire for privacy.

  • Xhieron@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I think the British royal family is a scourge on the earth, responsible for untold amounts of suffering. The UK, British Isles, British people, and world would be a better place without it. I truly hate everything the Windsors stand for, along with their ancestors going back hundreds of years.

    But I hate cancer more.

    I think it’s possible to have complex feelings about this. Nobody deserves cancer. A lot of the kings of England deserve to have had their heads cut off, but none of them deserved cancer, and certainly not this lady who just lucked and schemed and Machiavellied herself into a life of incomparable privilege inside one of the most powerful dynasties still in existence–the same thing anyone would have done given the chance.

    Fuck the royal family. But fuck cancer more. I hope she comes out of it alright, because her husband needs to break the British monarchy, and it would be nicer for him if he had his wife with him when he did.

    [American here, if it wasn’t obvious.]

        • Aggravationstation@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          Yup I’m British and I can’t stand the whole concept. I’m a republican (don’t freak out Americans, that just means I want Britain to be a republic without a monarchy).

        • borari@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          Hating the British royalty specifically also makes me think British. I’m quite disappointed more people don’t hate monarchy in general though.

          I guess in 2024 nobody believes in divine right, and I recognize that the monarchs in the vast majority of countries with active monarchies have only ceremonial power, but i still struggle to understand how people in the Commonwealth realms, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, etc., are cool thinking that some rich fuck is somehow better than them or important in any way just because their ancestor was the last person sitting on the throne when everybody decided they weren’t playing the game anymore.

          Is it something where they appreciate the tie to history? Even so why would you want a tie to a history that said your ancestors were intrinsically lesser than just because they didn’t have as much land, as big a sword/army, or as much money to pay off the church?

    • Hadriscus@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Really ? anyone ? I dig your nuanced opinion, but a life of royalty is close to the bottom in the list of things I want

  • Gork@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    She luckily has access to the best medical care you can find in the world. Can’t say the same for most of the rest of us peasants if we get struck by cancer.

    • AggressivelyPassive@feddit.de
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      9 months ago

      Depending on the type of cancer that might still not help. Pancreatic cancer is pretty much a death sentence unless it’s detected very early.

  • Veedem@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Man, cancer will go for anyone. I hope she makes it through, especially for the sake of her children.

    • pete_the_cat@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Yeah, people can throw out hate for the royals, but I’m just thinking about her, as a person, mother and wife. She’s only in her early 40s and her kids are young.

  • azimir@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    Damn. Fuck cancer. I have all kinds of issues with royalty and especially the British royal family, but I wouldn’t wish cancer on anyone.

    • Random Dent@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      I also wouldn’t wish the British tabloids on anyone. Going through this with every scumbag paparazzi in the country chasing you around, bothering everyone you’ve ever known and camping outside the hospital trying to get the most ill-looking photo of you has to be its own unique kind of hell.

      • RupeThereItIs@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        She chose to become part of the royal family, she knew what that entails.

        Frankly being in the tabloids isn’t payment enough for what the get as royalty.

        I can’t comprehend why the people of the UK put up with that level of bullshit. The rest of the world gave up on monarchy over a century ago.

    • CptEnder@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Yeah I was kinda hoping for some stupid shenanigan fun for why she was “missing” or “replaced” like the royals doing their fucking weird shit. Really fucking sucks she has cancer, no one deserves that. Makes all the funny memes and news coverage feel bad now =\

    • RunningInRVA@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Do you just expect them to denounce their thrones? We all have issues with them but this is just a continuation of thousands of years of tradition and history. It’s engrained in the British.

      • warm@kbin.earth
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        9 months ago

        Jesus fucking christ man. How fucked in the head are you?
        Her having cancer is no worse than any other person getting cancer, I agree it’s not exactly news or worth being upset over more than anyone else getting it, but don’t wish death on people, thats just psychoward behaviour.

        • wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          Jesus fucking christ man. How fucked in the head are you? Hitler having cancer is no worse than any other person getting cancer, I agree it’s not exactly news or worth being upset over more than anyone else getting it, but don’t wish death on people, thats just psychoward behaviour.

            • wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works
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              9 months ago

              No, I’m saying not wishing ill on people isn’t an absolute. And yeah, I wish ill on hereditary supposedly demi-gods. So sue me.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                She’s not a “hereditary supposedly demi-god.” Firstly because no one in Britain thinks of the royals that way and secondly, because she married into it, so it wasn’t hereditary for her.

                But sure, don’t let her decide who she gets to love and marry.

                • wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works
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                  9 months ago

                  It doesn’t matter what people think, this is how monarchy works. And sure she married into it, so did Marie-Antoinette, and her kids will inherit it, so that point is moot.

          • warm@kbin.earth
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            9 months ago

            I hope you get the help you need, you are clearly very troubled. It’s never too late to reach out for assistance.

            • wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works
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              9 months ago

              I’m fine thanks. Down with the monarchy! Long live the free people. Up the RA!

              I think it’s y’all who are troubled, venerating hereditary demi-gods.

  • kylie_kraft@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I hope the conspiracy theorists who were spinning tales these past few weeks feel super awesome about this

    • Raxiel@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      They’ll be spinning up a new one about how it was “Saint Meghan” that gave it to her.

  • subspaceinterferents@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Damn shame, for her or anyone with cancer. I had a friend, quite a while ago, in her 30s. She developed ovarian cancer, and it took her out in short order. You never know, best to enjoy every day.

    • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today
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      9 months ago

      About 84% of UK Citizens hold an opinion on them, and 1 in 3 of them answered survey saying they are very important.

      Personally, I’m halfway across the earth from them but I still get a little giddy when one of them dies or is close to dying. When I was young I was ambivalent but the more I hear their opinions about the lesser people the more I see them as enemies of mankind.

  • poo@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Wow, lots of royalty bootlickers in this thread LMFAO

    edit: keep downvoting, bootlickers - your fake empathy for a terrible person is quite sad

    • davepleasebehave@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      most of lemmy talks of guillotining rich people, nature takes action and we are all up in arms. it’s just nature happening to one person. she gets special care in a country where the health system has been gutted. I can’t feel empathy

      • poo@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        exactly - I guess Lemmy users are just the same old Reddit users… I used to think we had a more logical bunch here but I guess not lol.

    • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      I guess I just need someone to do something worse than marry into an institution I don’t like before I start wishing painful death upon them. Probably because I’m not a child.

  • KoalaUnknown@lemmy.worldOP
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    9 months ago

    She is the wife of Prince William, who is currently next in line for the British Royal Throne for those who do not know.

    • Hadriscus@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Wow so that means she should become queen ? or is that not how it works ? can there be a king and a queen at the same time ?

      • BottleOfAlkahest@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        There usually is a king and queen at the same time because traditionall Kings are in charge. Historically the Queen was the wife of the King. Jusy like Camilla is currently Queen Consort. If/When William takes the throne his wife will be Queen Consort. The King is still a higher position than the Queen which is why Prince Phillip was Prince Consort. If he’d been titled as King then he would have “out ranked” his wife.

        So yes Kate will be Queen (trchnically Queen Consort), but William will be “top” royal as King.

  • Smoogs@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    As much as I am opposed to royals, cancer gets everyone. I hope for everyone’s sake cancer gets cured soon regardless of who gets it.it is an awful disease and it’s only getting worse and more prevalent. At least that is my take away.