Kate Middleton’s Uncle Shares Update After Princess of Wales’ Cancer Diagnosis Reveal

Kate Middleton’s maternal uncle, Gary Goldsmith, said the Princess of Wales handled the explanation of her cancer diagnosis “incredibly well” in an exclusive interview with Spanish show ¡De Viernes! released on March 29.

“I have been in touch with my sister Carole [Middleton] to make sure my niece is okay. I thought Kate handled it incredibly well, especially in such a difficult and tricky situation,” said Goldsmith, who spoke to reporters in English, but had his answers translated to Spanish for viewers. “I don’t know anybody else who’s had to deal with something like that, deal with their children and then have to offer explanations to the national and international media in such a public scenario.”

Speculation about Kate’s whereabouts created a media and online frenzy after an image posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts of Kate and her three children was pulled by major photo agencies because it appeared to be digitally manipulated. In a statement shared via social media, Kate accepted responsibility for editing the photo, saying: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

Rumors were put to rest on March 22, after Kate announced in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer after she underwent a planned abdominal surgery in January. The Princess of Wales is now undergoing “preventative chemotherapy.”

“It’s hard to imagine that they haven’t been affected by so many comments and conspiracy theories,” said Goldsmith, talking about his niece and her family. “I have sent messages to Kate so she knows what I feel and the love I have for her.”

Goldsmith recently appeared on the U.K. reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother, where he was the first housemate to be evicted by a public vote on March 8.