When Prince William first heard about his wife’s cancer diagnosis the news “wobbled him” claims one royal expert, yet even despite his worries he was able to ‘step up to the plate’ for his family

When the news of Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis was first revealed earlier this year, like any loving husband, Prince William was understandably ‘devastated’, particularly as the worrying health news came just weeks after his own father King Charles had revealed his own battle with the illness. Yet rather than sink into a wave of despair or anxiety, instead the future King steeled his nerve to support both of his loved ones amid their health struggles – and take on a new role in the family in the process.

Opening up on what exactly the news meant to Prince William, royal author Robert Jobson told Us Weekly : “It was devastating for him.” Giving his take on how the news may have been received, Jobson went on to imagine that William immediately felt “a lump in [his] throat” or “the empty feeling in his stomach” when his wife’s diagnosis was revealed.

“It wobbled him,” the author continued. “There’s no doubt about that.”

Yet while the news may have shaken William to his core, the same couldn’t be said for Kate, who Jobson claims remained “very stoic” in the face of such adversity, as did Charles, as they both told the future monarch: “We need you now to stand up to the plate.”

And it appears William has done just that, with the Prince of Wales taking on a greater number of duties in recent weeks alongside Queen Camilla, while the King and Princess continue to recover.

In the wake of Charles’ cancer diagnosis in February, and Kate’s in March, the royal family was faced with two senior working royals being out of commission for an extended amount of time, with both hoping that William could step in and carry some of the burden in their absence.

“[Kate] has been good in making sure that that happens,” Jobson told the publication. . “She’s shown him that she’s there for him as well as him there for her.”

Although Kate has primarily stepped back from public duties, in recent months fans were heartened to see her on two occasions over the summer, when she appeared in public at both Trooping the Colour and the Wimbledon finals. Kate also told well-wishers in June that she would still be out of action for a little while longer, as she “has a few more months” of treatment to complete.

There is currently no confirmed timescale for when Kate will be ready to return to public duty just yet, but as Jobson told Hello! magazine earlier this month, Kate has been adopting a “very calm” approach to her recovery so far.

“She’s a person who wants to find solutions and rise above the noise and the drama, and I think, given what she’s gone through, you don’t want to waste any time on noise, on drama, when you’ve had anything to do with your health,” he added. “You live day by day; you do the things you want to do.”