Conspiracy theories surrounding Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis and recovery have erupted online again, after a report by a respected and accredited royal reporter suggested the Princess of Wales never had cancer but was instead found to have “pre-cancerous cells.”
Vicious rumors perpetrated by online trolls alleging that Kate either faked or exaggerated her cancer to cover up personal difficulties have been turbocharged by the claim.
When Kate announced she had cancer in March 2024, she said tests after abdominal surgery “found cancer” and that she was advised to “undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy.”
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However, a doctor told The Daily Beast, “You either have pre-cancerous cells or you have cancer, the two terms are not interchangeable.”
The renewed attention on Kate’s condition was triggered after a September report by Rhiannon Mills, senior royal editor for Sky News, resurfaced this weekend.
When covering the Princess of Wales’ joyful video announcement that she was “cancer-free,” Mills wrote: “In March the princess confirmed that pre-cancerous cells had been found following abdominal surgery and that she would have to undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy.”
The specific formulation of the words went largely unnoticed at the time amid relief at Kate’s announcement that she was “cancer-free” and widespread astonishment at the deeply personal nature of the film, which showed Kate and Prince William and their family engaged in a series of wholesome and well-lit pursuits.
Mills’ remarks cannot be easily dismissed, however, as she is a member of the so-called royal rota, a quasi-official group of royal journalists working for British media who, while maintaining their editorial independence and frequently writing critical stories about the royals, cooperate with the palace, especially on logistics, in a broad sense.
The palace is often able to get simple errors made by rota journalists corrected, and the fact a correction hasn’t been made is relevant.
Mills is a hugely experienced journalist.
The resurfaced claims have been leapt on by some credible online figures, most prominent among them so far being the British commentator Narinder Kaur, who sometimes appears on the U.K.’s biggest breakfast talk show, GMB, as a talking head.
Kaur, who was involved in an online argument about Kate’s appearance, also retweeted a claim that Kate “never had cancer.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Mills and Kensington Palace for comment.
The resurgence of online rumors will displease the palace. Kate faced a firestorm of speculation earlier in the year when she disappeared from view for several months after announcing she had undergone unspecified abdominal surgery. Speculation went into overdrive after a family photograph, issued in an apparent attempt to calm nerves, was found to be heavily edited and was subsequently “killed” by official photo and news agencies who accused Kensington Palace of misleading them.
Kate then announced she had been diagnosed with cancer in her first video address.
She returned to public view attending the Wimbledon tennis finals in June, and made another appearance at the king’s birthday parade that month.
She was out again this weekend, attending Remembrance Day events.
