British Princess Kate’s Shock Cancer Diagnosis Dominates Front Pages

Horse Racing - Royal Ascot - Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Britain - June 23, 2023 Catherine, Princess of Wales is pictured at the racecourse. (Reuters)
Horse Racing - Royal Ascot - Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Britain - June 23, 2023 Catherine, Princess of Wales is pictured at the racecourse. (Reuters)
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British Princess Kate’s Shock Cancer Diagnosis Dominates Front Pages

Horse Racing - Royal Ascot - Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Britain - June 23, 2023 Catherine, Princess of Wales is pictured at the racecourse. (Reuters)
Horse Racing - Royal Ascot - Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Britain - June 23, 2023 Catherine, Princess of Wales is pictured at the racecourse. (Reuters)

Friday's shock announcement from Kate, Britain's Princess of Wales, of her cancer diagnosis dominated the nation's newspaper front pages on Saturday, with messages of support combined with criticism of those who had speculated about her health.

Kate said on Friday she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy after tests taken after she had major abdominal surgery in January revealed that cancer had been present.

Kate, the 42-year-old wife of heir to the throne Prince William, called the cancer discovery a "huge shock". The news comes as a fresh health blow to the British royal family: King Charles is also undergoing treatment for cancer.

All of Saturday's newspapers featured Kate's news, accompanied by a photograph of the princess delivering her video message, which was filmed at Windsor on Wednesday.

"KATE, YOU ARE NOT ALONE," splashed The Sun tabloid, saying she received a "huge outpouring of love and support", while rival the Daily Mirror went with "KATE REVEALS CANCER SHOCK" and shared her remarks about how she had to explain the news to her children George, Charlotte and Louis.

The Daily Telegraph quoted the princess, who is still popularly known by her maiden name Kate Middleton, as saying: "Cancer came as huge shock", but noted she said she is "going to be OK".

The Daily Mail rounded on those who have speculated in recent weeks on her health, saying: "How do all those vile online trolls feel now?"

On Friday, messages of support poured in for Kate, including from King Charles, Prince Harry, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and US President Joe Biden.

Sunak said Kate had "shown tremendous bravery" with her statement, adding she "has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media."

Kate's diagnosis was also big news internationally.

"Catherine's Cancer Diagnosis Puts UK Royals on Even More Uncertain Terrain," said the New York Times, noting that the grave health concerns of both the king and Kate are stretching an already slimmed down monarchy.

Charles, who took the throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth, underwent a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate at the same hospital as Kate in January.

Buckingham Palace then revealed in February that the 75-year-old king was to have treatment for cancer, meaning he has had to postpone his public royal duties.



2 Foreign Climbers Rescued after Being Stranded in India’s Himalayas for 3 Days

 This photograph shared by Indian Air Force on the X platform shows two foreign climbers, center, who were stranded in India's Himalayas posing with Indian Air Force personnel who rescued them in Uttarakhand, India, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (Indian Air Force on X via AP)
This photograph shared by Indian Air Force on the X platform shows two foreign climbers, center, who were stranded in India's Himalayas posing with Indian Air Force personnel who rescued them in Uttarakhand, India, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (Indian Air Force on X via AP)
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2 Foreign Climbers Rescued after Being Stranded in India’s Himalayas for 3 Days

 This photograph shared by Indian Air Force on the X platform shows two foreign climbers, center, who were stranded in India's Himalayas posing with Indian Air Force personnel who rescued them in Uttarakhand, India, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (Indian Air Force on X via AP)
This photograph shared by Indian Air Force on the X platform shows two foreign climbers, center, who were stranded in India's Himalayas posing with Indian Air Force personnel who rescued them in Uttarakhand, India, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (Indian Air Force on X via AP)

Two foreign climbers have been rescued after being stranded for three days on a mountain in India’s Himalayan north.

Fay Jane Manners from the United Kingdom and Michelle Theresa Dvorak from the United States were ascending a rocky section of the Chaukhamba-3 peak in India’s Uttarakhand state when they got stranded there, said Sandeep Tiwari, a senior administrative officer of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. The climbers were rescued on Sunday, he said.

The climbers were first reported stranded on Thursday when a rockfall severed their rope, sending their bags — along with crucial supplies like food, tent and climbing gear — into a gorge. The climbers also lost most of their communication equipment, but managed to send out an emergency message the same day.

“We were pulling up my bag and she (Dvorak) had her bag on her. And the rockfall came, cut the rope with the other bag, and it just went down the entire mountain,” Manners told local reporters on Sunday.

The rescue operation took 80 hours to complete and involved the Indian air force and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority.

Rajkumar Negi, a spokesperson for India’s disaster management agency, said that two Indian Air Force helicopters dispatched on Friday to help with the search were unable to locate the climbers. But on Saturday, a French mountaineering team, which was also attempting to climb the Chaukhamba-3 peak, located the stranded climbers and relayed their coordinates to the rescue authorities.

The Indian air force said in a statement on social platform X that it airlifted the climbers on Sunday “from 17,400 feet, showcasing remarkable coordination in extreme conditions."

Chaukhamba-3 is a mountain peak in the Garhwal Himalaya in northern India.