The senior royal said she was looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a “few more” public engagements in the coming months when she can….reports Asian Lite News
Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, on Monday, in a video message, announced that she has completed her chemotherapy treatment and is now focussed on “staying cancer-free”.
The 42-year-old future Queen, in a similar video message back in March, revealed her cancer diagnosis, saying she would be stepping back from royal duties to focus on her treatment for the undisclosed form of cancer.
In the latest, more intimate footage, the Princess spends time with her husband, Prince William and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – at their Norfolk family home in eastern England.
“As the summer ends, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment. The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family,” said Kate.
“Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown. The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything,” she said in the candid video.
The Princes of Wales shared that the past few months reminded her and her husband, heir to the British throne, to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, “which so many of us often take for granted”.
“Of simply loving and being loved. Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” she said.
The senior royal said she was looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a “few more” public engagements in the coming months when she can.
“Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life. William and I are so grateful for the support we have received and have drawn great strength from all those who are helping us at this time.” “Everyone’s kindness, empathy and compassion have been truly humbling. To all those who are continuing their cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright,” she concluded.
According to Kensington Palace, the video was filmed in Norfolk last month and includes footage of the royal family enjoying time together in the woods and on the beach, playing cards, and having a picnic.
Kate Middleton’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton are also filmed playing games with the family. In a departure from the norm, Kate and William can be seen cuddling each other and William kissing his wife on the cheek.
According to their palace office, the Princess of Wales is expected to work from home and gradually undertake a few public engagements in the coming months. Her next major event is expected to be when she joins other royal family members at the annual World War Remembrance Sunday events at the Cenotaph in central London in November.
Prince Andrew to pay costs or move out of Windsor mansion
The Duke of York will have to pay his own costs for the upkeep and security of the Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor if he is to remain living there. Substantial subsidies from King Charles III and the Royal Family are not going to be available indefinitely for his accommodation in the 30-room house in Windsor Great Park.
Prince Andrew has a lease with the Crown Estate to stay in the house until 2078. But it’s suggested he has to be self-financing if he wants to fulfil the requirements to keep up the maintenance of the 19th Century listed building.
The pressure to move Prince Andrew, who lives in the house with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has been called the “Siege of Royal Lodge”.
And the sense of a prince under siege is likely to increase with a new Amazon film to be released next week about his 2019 Newsnight interview, which will re-ignite questions about his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However sources suggest that moving out of Royal Lodge – perhaps to a smaller property such as Frogmore Cottage once used by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – is about long-term financial pragmatism rather than family disagreements.
It’s said that with Prince Andrew in his sixties there will be a plan needed for affordable accommodation for him in the future, not just now but in 10 or 20 years. If he can privately fund the high costs of the maintenance and the security for a building on the grand scale of Royal Lodge, then he can remain, but if not then it seems that he will need to consider living elsewhere, as the current financial support from the King is not going to continue.
If the prince moved out, it’s suggested that the historic Royal Lodge could be used as a commercial asset by the Crown Estate, rented in some way that would work with the security considerations of a house on the Windsor estate.
Prince Andrew’s lease on the property began in August 2003 – in the year following the death of its previous occupant, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The prince had approached the Crown Estate about acquiring the lease – and renting it to Prince Andrew as a paying tenant was seen as financially preferable to using it as a “grace and favour” residence for the Royal Family.
The house had been in need of renovation and the arrangement saw Prince Andrew taking on that initial cost, more than £7.5m at the time, rather than the Crown Estate having to pay for repairs. He had also made a one-off payment of £1m to his landlords, the Crown Estate, the independent body that manages crown property, according to documents from the National Audit Office which examined the arrangements in 2005.
There was also the option of a one-off payment of £2.5m as a way of buying out the annual rental. With its proximity to other royal residences, it was also thought that leasing it to Prince Andrew was a better arrangement in terms of security, rather than offering the house to the “wider market”.
The 75-year lease agreement prevents Prince Andrew from gaining financially from any increase in the value of the house – and apart from the prince the lease can only be subsequently assigned to his daughters or his widow. If Prince Andrew wants to terminate the lease, it will revert to the Crown Estate.
But there was a clause that if he left the house within 25 years of the start of the lease he would receive compensation for his original payment on repairs – with that amount shrinking each year.