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William’s Last-Minute Cancellation Sparks Fresh Royal Health Panic

William pulled out of a memorial service for his godfather at short notice, prompting concern over what kind of “personal matter” may have forced him to stay away.

Prince William dramatically pulled out of a memorial service to honor his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece, on Tuesday morning, with his office citing “a personal matter.”

The last-minute cancellation sparked concerns about the health of William’s family members. His father the king is being treated for cancer and his wife, the Princess of Wales, is convalescing from abdominal surgery.

Official sources in William’s office said that Kate was “doing well,” and King Charles’ office said there was no connection between William’s cancellation and the king’s health.

Nonetheless the sense of panic occasioned by the announcement of William’s cancellation, although short-lived, pointed up the extent of concern about Charles’ health since it was dramatically announced earlier this month that he was suffering from cancer.

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Tom Sykes

Charles has been taking a back seat and avoiding public-facing engagements since the diagnosis was revealed and he began treatment.

He has sought, however, to remain visible, with his team posting photos and videos of him. Charles has also appeared to make a conscious effort to travel in a Rolls Royce with large windows while attending treatment session in London.

In contrast to Charles’ unprecedented health transparency, an almost total lack of information has emerged about Kate since it was revealed that she had been admitted to hospital for surgery in January.

At the time, palace sources said she was unlikely to be seen in public again until after Easter. No details have been released as to her condition, other than that she had abdominal surgery, a term which could be used to describe treatment for a huge number of conditions.

Official sources said that William had called the late King Constantine’s family to let them know he was unable to attend.

Camilla attended the service, as did Prince Andrew, his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and his daughters, Princess Eugenie and Beatrice.

Constantine II was the last king of Greece, reigning from March 6, 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on June 1, 1973.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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