Prince William's First Reaction To King Charles' Cancer Has People Spiraling Over Kate Middleton

Amid his family's health crises, Prince William resumed royal duty on February 7 by participating in not one, but two, events. The first was an investiture, during which an MBE honoree seized the opportunity to inquire about Kate Middleton's health when William presented her with her medal. The recipient, Trish Spruce, later wrote on LinkedIn, "Prince William said that Catherine had two Filipino nurses looking after her and they were amazing and kind." So, with Middleton being so well taken care of, this should free William up to step in and pick up the slack while his father undergoes cancer treatment, right? Well, about that...

Speaking to OK! about how William feels about suddenly getting a small taste of his future, royal commentator Jennie Bond said, "This is not a time in which he wanted to take on extra responsibilities" (via the Daily Mail). William also seems to be struggling with those responsibilities somewhat already. At one point during the investiture ceremony, the medal he was attempting to pin on a charity worker slipped from his fingers, per the Daily Mail. He failed to catch it before it hit the floor. Sky News also tweeted a video clip of the royal rocking back and forth and seemingly struggling to keep his eyes open as he stood for the national anthem at the same event. However, it was William's actions at a charity dinner later that evening that caused outrage among some royalists.

Prince William appeared to be in excellent spirits at a gala for London's Air Ambulance Charity, especially when in the company of actor Tom Cruise. As reported by Hello!, William fondly reminisced about the special jet-themed footwear he sported when he attended the 2022 premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick," quipping to Cruise, "I haven't got my 'Top Gun' slippers on."

The comedian cracked another joke when he took the stage to address the crowd. "It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus," he said. "So I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!" Fans of the royal family have spent weeks worrying about Kate Middleton in the wake of her abdominal surgery and are now concerned about King Charles III's cancer diagnosis. Given the gravity of these health issues, some people found William's joke in poor taste. "Is this how you expected your future King to speak about ailing family members?" one person tweeted. "Shouldn't he be displaying the utmost concern for such a *serious* illness & the *mysterious* absence of the wife?" Another critic wrote, "He needs a new 'joke' writer and coached on his delivery!" William's every action as monarch will come under similar scrutiny, so if he truly doesn't feel like he's ready to take his father's place, it's easy to see why he might be reticent to have that heavy crown placed on his head.

Prince William's joke about his family's health woes was possibly an attempt to lighten the mood at an event where everyone present couldn't help but have his ailing family members at the forefront of their minds. But some skeptics think there's more to his behavior. 

When The Telegraph posted a story about the London Air Ambulance Charity event, several X users responded to it with the hashtag "#WhereIsKateMiddleton?" One person wrote, "The world is suspicious. William is showing up drunk to work and swaying and looking gaunt. No one has seen the Middletons in weeks. The dark secret the royal family are trying to hide is slowly coming into the light." Because William was acting like he and Tom Cruise were besties, some people brought up Cruise's ties to Scientology and referenced the mystery surrounding Shelly Miscavige, the wife of church leader David Miscavige. Shelly hasn't been seen in public for years, so conspiracy theories about her disappearance abound. "I am sure Tom was giving advice on how to make women who are past their best before date disappear," read one X post.

Another person even posited that Kate has died and the palace is trying to cover it up for some unfathomable reason. All in all, the lack of updates on Kate and the avoidance of sharing specifics about the abdominal issue that will put her out of commission for so long are definitely making some royal watchers spiral down the rabbit hole.