Prince William’s pride at courage of Princess of Wales

The Prince of Wales is “extremely proud” of the “courage and strength” shown by his wife, the Princess of Wales, since her cancer diagnosis, royal sources have told The Telegraph.

Prince William is said to be proud not just of the Princess’s bravery in telling the world such devastating news, but also of the way in which she has coped since being admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery in January.

It comes as the Prince and Princess revealed they had been “enormously touched” by the outpouring of support from across the globe following the release of the Princess’s emotional video message on Friday

Among those who “reached out” privately were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who put a bitter family rift behind them to convey their personal support.

The Princess was filmed in the gardens at Windsor as she revealed that following successful abdominal surgery, post-operative tests found that “cancer had been present”. It followed weeks of wild conspiracy theories and speculation about her health and whereabouts that had caused much distress.

A royal source said: “William is extremely proud of his wife for the courage and strength she has shown not just this week, but since her surgery in January. He has always done all he can to protect his family and now more than ever he’s focused on ensuring his wife has the privacy she needs to fully recover and that his children are shielded from the understandable interest in the news that has been shared.”

The Princess is said to have felt duty bound to share her condition with the public in the hope that it would help others. She also knew that by recording it herself, as opposed to releasing a written statement, it would appear more personal and more compassionate.

“The Princess wrote the statement herself and they are entirely her words,” a source said.

The statement was lauded by leading cancer charities, which said her focus on how it would impact her young family would raise awareness of the worries faced by cancer patients. They added that it would encourage others to seek help early, when “treatment is more likely to be successful”

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’s message. They are extremely moved by the public’s warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time.

Leading doctors have suggested that the Princess’s condition was reflective of a mysterious new “epidemic” of abdominal cancers in younger people.

They revealed that there has been a significant increase in under-45s, many fit and outwardly healthy, presenting with cancers typically seen in older patients, prompting a scramble among scientists to establish what is causing the trend.

The Princess has opted not to reveal why she needed abdominal surgery in January, nor what type of cancer had been found. Her video statement was released to coincide with the end of the school term. The Prince and Princess are now understood to have gone to their Norfolk residence for the Easter holidays. The ten-bedroomed home is the couple’s “favourite” place and is where they will be able to shield their three children from the new publicity.

Prince William will return to public duties after the children have returned to school on April 17, when he will continue to balance supporting his family with his workload. The Princess will return to official duties when cleared to do so by her medical team. Sources suggest that she may attend events as and when she feels able, although they stress that this would not necessarily signal a return to a regular public schedule