The mystery surrounding Kate Middleton and her health status remained for months. Since her abdominal surgery in January, only minor updates have been made by Kensington Palace, and only Prince William has told some minor details to the public while out on royal duty. Neither King Charles nor Queen Camilla said anything – but last Friday, Kate confirmed that she had received a cancer diagnosis.

The exact details surrounding Kate’s cancer aren’t known, and the palace has said she wants them to remain private. Meanwhile, during Easter, the family spent plenty of time together, as they stayed at Anmer Hall at Sandringham for several weeks.

Kate Middleton received plenty of scrutiny following her Mother’s Day picture, which turned out to have been manipulated. Luckily, one family member has had experience dealing with negative comments from both the media and the public: Queen Camilla.

She and Kate Middleton have an extraordinary bond—and earlier this week, the queen finally broke the silence on Kate Middleton for the first time following the cancer diagnosis announcement.