Tragic Details About Kate Middleton's Life

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When Princess Catherine underwent planned abdominal surgery in January 2024, no one thought that, just two months later, she would announce that she'd been diagnosed with cancer. It sent shockwaves through the world, but before Catherine made the announcement, her complete lack of public appearances spawned hundreds of conspiracy theories. By the end of February, with no health updates or sightings of the royal, many started to agree that it was time to start worrying about Kate Middleton. And so the gossip mill churned, and even some celebrities started to weigh in on the conspiracy theories.

Finally, on March 22, Catherine took to Instagram to share that she had cancer. She did not disclose what kind of cancer she'd been diagnosed with but hinted why she'd kept quiet so long, explaining, "William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK." It was a heartbreaking message and hinted at the stress all the gossip had likely put on Catherine and her family. Unfortunately, the gossip didn't end here.

In November 2024, there was a revival in conspiracy theories claiming Catherine never really had cancer after Sky News reporter Rhiannon Mills incorrectly claimed that Catherine's doctors only found pre-cancerous cells. X users quickly jumped on the misinformation train, accusing Buckingham Palace of making a big hoopla about Catherine's diagnosis to garner public sympathy and attention. Meanwhile, Catherine has pushed through, and in January 2025 took to Instagram to announce that she was officially in remission. However, her cancer diagnosis was hardly the first tragedy the royal had to weather.

Aside from battling cancer, Princess Catherine has also had to deal with the growing rift between her husband, Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry. The three were once thick as thieves. Now, they are more estranged than ever. Harry reportedly irked William when he granted the BBC an interview in May 2025 in which he discussed the U.K. court's decision not to grant him and his family automatic security entitlement when they visit the country.

Harry claimed the royal household had a hand in the court's decision. "I'm devastated — not so much as devastated with the loss that I am about the people behind the decision, feeling as though this is okay. Is it a win for them?" he questioned, hinting that, if King Charles III didn't stand in the way, the court might have come to a different decision. In the same breath he said he wanted nothing more than to reconcile with his family. While the prince's contradictory statements raised some eyebrows, palace sources told Radar that Catherine has empathy for Harry and has no desire to see the family feud go on any longer. "Kate's deeply upset with Harry, but she's also frustrated that William and the rest of the family have allowed things to deteriorate this badly," the insider alleged. "It's heartbreaking for her to watch the family so publicly divided."

Sources also allege that Catherine's empathy for Harry is clashing with her husband's fury at his brother for once again discussing royal business with the media. "William doesn't like having to put his foot down with Kate, but he sees this as necessary to protect everyone," the insider claimed, adding that the princess has been pleading Harry's case with senior royals.

Nothing sells papers quite like a royal love scandal, and in 2019, gossip site In Touch claimed that Prince William had an affair with his and Princess Catherine's friend, Rose Hanbury. The story, which appears to have since been deleted (William apparently had his lawyers send out some warnings to the media about the repercussions of spreading such falsities), claimed that Catherine had confronted William about the affair rumors and that he "just laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it," per the Daily Beast. Catherine, however, reportedly wanted nothing more to do with Hanbury after that and told William to cut ties with her. And yet, there are several signs that indicate Hanbury still has a good relationship with the royal family.

Insiders who spoke to Us Weekly after the affair rumors emerged said that, even though Catherine knew the gossip was just that, it was a troubling time for the princess. "Kate finds the rumors hurtful, obviously, and hates the thought that one day her children will be able to read about them online," someone claiming to be friends of the Middleton family told the outlet.

The rumors about Prince William and Rose Hanbury's alleged affair were reignited during Catherine's prolonged absence from royal duties after her 2024 abdominal surgery. Before the princess shared that she had been diagnosed with cancer, rumors were rife that she and William were headed for divorce because of his alleged clandestine relationship with Hanbury.

Admittedly, 2024 certainly wasn't Princess Catherine's year. Aside from undergoing surgery, getting a cancer diagnosis, weathering chemotherapy, and dealing with affair rumors, she also had the shadow of Prince Harry's tell-all memoir, "Spare," hanging over her.

Harry didn't exactly paint his sister-in-law in the best light in the book, revealing that the Nazi costume he wore to a Halloween party in 2005 was, in part, her and Prince William's brilliant idea. Aside from partially blaming William and Catherine for the media tempest that followed this questionable decision, Harry also set the record straight regarding the rumors that his wife, Meghan Markle, made Catherine cry ahead of her wedding to Harry. He confirmed that it was, in fact, Catherine who brought Meghan to tears, and added the text message exchange between Meghan and Catherine that led to the fallout for good measure. Ouch.

Harry also dove into Catherine's apparent animosity towards Meghan when she first joined the family, citing an incident where Meghan asked Catherine if she could borrow her lip gloss. "Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube," Harry wrote. "Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. Kate grimaced. Small clash of styles, maybe? Something we should've been able to laugh about soon after. But it left a little mark."

Prince Harry turning on Princess Catherine in "Spare" couldn't have been easy on the royal. She's no stranger to bullying, and being painted as the nasty sister-in-law likely brought back some memories she'd rather forget. Catherine left her boarding school, Downe House, after enduring some relentless bullying from some of her peers, according to Katie Nicholl's book, "Kate: The Future Queen." As Nicholl described it, Catherine felt out of place from the get-go because she only started attending the all-girls boarding school when she was 13. Most of the other students had joined at age 11, leaving the future royal feeling left out. Catherine also continued living at home instead of boarding with her fellow students, leading to a further divide.

Nicholl spoke to one of the former students who were four years Catherine's senior during her time at the school. The alum, Emma Sayle, said the school's environment wasn't the most welcoming. "It is a very cliquey school and there was a lot of pressure," Sayle said. "The girls were all high achievers. Everyone wanted to be the best, the fittest, the prettiest. I think Kate was miserable from the start."

The princess switched to Marlborough College, with her former roommate Gemma Williamson telling the Daily Mail that Catherine arrived at the college looking worse for wear. "She had very little confidence," Williamson said. Marlborough also had its fair share of problematic traditions, like the one where senior boys would get to score the girls' looks from one to 10. Williamson said Catherine only received scores of one and two. "Catherine came back after the long summer break the following year an absolute beauty," Williamson said, adding that she went from the shy girl boys rated a two to the one everyone wanted to date.

In what definitely made the list of the royal family's biggest PR disasters was Princess Catherine appearing naked in a French gossip magazine. No, the royal did not pose in the nude — she was photographed sunbathing topless while on vacation with Prince William at a private chateau. This didn't deter eager paparazzi, however, who saw an opportunity for a major payday and grossly invaded the royal's privacy. La Provence, a local newspaper, published several of the photographs, but British tabloids refrained from doing the same (likely not wanting to risk their spot in the Royal Rota).

Nonetheless, it was anything but a pleasant experience for Catherine, and what made matters worse is that Donald Trump, who was yet to put his hat in the ring for the White House at the time, felt the need to weigh in. He took to X to write, "Who wouldn't take Kate's picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!" As if that wasn't enough, the divisive politician continued his commentary while making an appearance on "Fox & Friends." While he condemned the paparazzi, he made it clear that he believed Catherine to be responsible for her own misery. "It's terrible what they did, it's terrible to take pictures, but boy, how can you do a thing so stupid?" he said (via Express).

Catherine and William filed a lawsuit against the newspaper and the photographers and emerged victorious, with the court granting them £91,000 (around $123,000) in damages. In the aftermath, the palace released a statement that read, "The incident was a serious breach of privacy, and their royal highnesses felt it essential to pursue all legal remedies," per The Guardian.