A rumor circulated among the British royal family that William, Prince of Wales, had made a tragic news regarding his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales. The entire series of posts read, “Prince William makes the sad announcement that leaves fans in tears: ‘My wife it’s been…'” The same text was also shared on Facebook in March.
This myth spread on Facebook following Kate’s March 22 video announcement, in which she revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. The announcement came after Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis on February 5.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous,” Kate said in the video. “The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found that cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy.”
As for the rumor about William, the Facebook posts promoting the supposed “sad announcement” were misleading, false, and based on scammy, outdated articles about the royal family. These articles were not hosted by major news websites that readers might be familiar with. The best way to describe these websites would be with words like “strange,” “lifeless,” and “untrustworthy.” Further, some of the websites displayed pop-up ads and other malware, perhaps indicating that the goal of some of the Facebook posts was to scam users.
Aside from the Facebook posts, it’s true that William did once utter the four words “my wife it’s been” as part of a longer statement. The context of these words can be found in an article published by the British tabloid The Sun.
On Feb. 18, 2024, The Sun reported news of William’s attendance at the British Academy Film Awards, better known as the BAFTA Film Awards. He has served as the President of BAFTA since 2010.
The Sun’s story was published more than a month before Kate’s cancer diagnosis was made public. We have bolded the four words “my wife it’s been” below:
And after waving to crowds along the red carpet, William made a joke about her health.
He admitted he hadn’t seen many of the nominated movies as he’d been busy at home following his wife’s operation.
The royal said: “I’ve done the fewest I’ve ever done before.”
“With my wife it’s been a bit . . . hopefully, we’ll catch up. I’ll make my list tonight.”
Wills said he’d made the last-minute call to head along to the awards while Kate rested at home.
