chocolate sop outside of geneva, illinois. kelly how much do you think people need to plan to spend on candy this easter? >> gillian the natural retail federation is estimating that americans are going to spend over $5 billion on all of their easter needs with the majority of that being chocolate. and that is definitely true here at grams, we have a bunch of people here sta stocking up fore holiday a little over a week away we are with jamie wunderlich the ceo, when can we expect customers to see a price increase with a record high cocoa prices? >> we saw a 29% increase in our milk chocolate cost as of november of last year. really a 49% increase since 2021. we have not had a chance to pass it along to our customers as of yet, but we do see it potentially happening in the next couple of months. >> thank you, janie.

we should know giants like c.a.d. barry and hershey have said they have already passed this cost to customers, of course much of this is because of agricultural issues in west african countries that pass three quarters of the nation's cocoa like ghana. >> with that report for us, thank you. john? >> john: all right we are getting some breaking news there was an announcement just coming in from breaking buckingham palace we have been except mike expecting that the last few hours let's go to this video and listen here. >> i've had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me which i am so grateful. in january i underwent many abdominal surgery in london. at the time it was thought my condition was noncancerous. the surgery was successful. however, tests after the operation found cancer stomach cancer had been present here and

make medical therefore advised i should undergo preventative chemotherapy and i am now in ths of that treatment. this of course came as a huge shark and william and i have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. as you can imagine this has taken time. it has taken me time to recover from major surgery to start my treatment, but most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to george, charlotte, and louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them i'm going to be okay. as i have said to them, i am well, and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal. in my mind, body, and spirit. having william by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance to me. as a lot of support and kindness is being shown by so many of you, it means so much to us b

both. we hope you will understand as a family we now need some time, space, and privacy while i complete my treatment. my work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and i look forward to being back when i am able. but for now, i must focus on making a full recovery. at this time, i also am thinking of all of those whose lives have been affected by cancer. for everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. you are not alone. >> john: wow, that was it. that came up very quickly. we knew something like that was coming, we had words something like that was coming, a real shock that kate middleton says she is now being treated for cancer. as a result of the abdominal surgery she had earlier this year. >> gillian: this, john, is the first time we have seen her

officially publicly since christmas. she was seen on christmas day going to services at church along with the rest of the royal family, she has been seen subsequently in a couple unconfirmed paparazzi photos. we now know the photo of the royal family released last week was doctor, so we don't know when that was taken. this video the first eyes we have now had on the princess in four months. >> john: she is 42 years old and again, she had the abdominal surgery that was puzzling to people in the u.k. and around the world because what was it? why was she having abdominal surgery? was it a routine type of thing? it now sounds like they may have been looking for some sort of tumor or something they initially believed it was benign, but when further pathology came back on it it was found to be cancerous. but now she is to be undergoing a rigorous round of chemotherapy with any of us in america who has gone through chemotherapy knows it leaves you in a

weakened state. just sort of generally messes with your life. but that she is expecting a full recovery. i guess it's indicative that they initially thought there was nothing cancerous about it. further pathology found that there was. when dealing with something that i would think would be very, very small which would be a good sign for her. >> gillian: it certainly would. she said in january when she had this abdominal surgery, it was not thought that she had cancer, but as you mentioned, subsequent tests revealed she did so now they are recommending the source of chemotherapy and she is in the early stages of that. we don't know if any other surgery has been in the months after or treatment of radiation, there's so many treatments out there but she mentioned specifically she is going through chemotherapy that recently has begun. >> john: let's bring in

martha maccallum and current editor of the story first we have the cancer diagnosis for the king and we don't know what type of cancer, martha, now kate middleton saying she has been diagnosed with cancer as well and, like they can come is undergoing chemotherapy, your thoughts? >> it is a stunning announcement we just heard from the princess of wales and we saw this video of her in december of '22 here and there has been so much speculation as to what her condition is and a lot of very school's gossip that has been flying around. so to see her sitting on a bench probably at kensington palace or one of the other homes out in the windsor area speaking into the camera and coming forward with this really astonishing news because we all remember the initial announcement from the palace which said she was doing planned abdominal surgery and that it was noncancerous. according to what she just told

us, she was under that impression as well. it does sound, john, i am not a doctor but it sounds as if something was removed and with further examination they determined it was indeed cancerous. now you have a situation where just over the past few months you have the key of england kinf england under treatments and other future queen consort under treatment so i'm thinking of a time last week where prince william was out with camilla and the two of them were attending an event together. they obviously have a lot to share. there is a lot going on in this family. very difficult times. and as the princess of wales said, they had to deal very delicately with this. charlotte is ten, and louis they are both each two years under that they will each deal with this with a different level of understanding so it shines a light obviously of what has been

going on here. there are been all kinds of gossip and rumors. the other day when they came out of the garden market, there was a lot of speculation that maybe that wasn't even her. were they trying to put that video out there to prove she was okay? so obviously they understood they could not put this off any longer, they needed to get her out there and she obviously was ready to start to talk about her situation. >> gillian: martha, the palace -- the palace pr team has faced a lot of criticism in recent weeks and months for botching this operation, whatever was going on behind the scenes. do you think this cancer diagnosis changes any of that? when you look back now knowing what the reality is and what the reality was over the last few months what do you make of the way they have handled this which was basically a policy of silence? >> you know, everyone is entitled to their privacy. a couple -- not that long ago we didn't know queen elizabeth had

a form of cancer when she died. and her father died of lung cancer, king george. and no one knew what he had. it was all treated within the hospital walls and that is another thing that has come up very much in the last couple of days as there were reports that some of kate's reports were leaked from where she was treated and a discussion they may have to return to that policy were all treatment happens within the palace walls because they can't seem to get any privacy. but now we live in a world where everyone expects transparency on every level. that is the struggle for media relations at buckingham palace to give her the privacy she needed with her family and to balance and they are used to seeing a very forward facing prince and princess of wales when she disappeared for a while there were understandably a lot of questions and to seek balance from these things. >> john: hopefully for her,

obviously this has to be devastating diagnosis for her. but potentially in her favor is the fact that if they thought it was noncancerous at the beginning, was that just because of scans or was that the initial pathology that showed it was noncancerous but then subsequent pathology on a cellular level found out it was? or was it just a few cells or was it more than that? the smaller it is the better the prognosis as long as it is not certain forms of conflict pancreatic. so the chances of her survival i think would be very good at this point. >> well, that is how she presented it just now that she is going to get well. she appears to be a young and healthy 42-year-old woman who is dealing with this. it may be exactly the situation you are talking about where you are thankful this one the surgery a light on an issue that

is perhaps very difficult and that she will address it and be well. thankfully we also know so many people in the situations that recover from cancer and going to live long and healthy lives. we hope this will be the situation here. given the high profile on this family no doubt this double cancer diagnosis for the king and future queen consort at the same time has to be in a short nearly stressful situation for all of them obviously. >> gillian: martha, obviously this devastating news also puts pain to the rumor cycle which has been as you mentioned percolating since even before christmas and the announcement that came that she was going to have the surgery in january. i will not repeat the litany of rumors, but everything from she was -- people thought she was having a hysterectomy or getting a divorce from william because he was cheating on her, do you think this will now stop that?

>> i am sure they hope it will. i can't imagine on top of the stress of this medical condition dealing with what they no doubt see in the press and on social media all the time. and i think world that we are in that is so quick moving, everyone is jumping in with their opinion, their theories, their gossip, all of it. it has to have taken a serious toll. and no doubt they would've liked to have put this off little bit longer. she originally said she would be out at easter, and perhaps she will be out at easter, which is just about a week away at this point. but then we heard it may be passed easter. when you are going through chemotherapy treatments you have good days and bad days as anyone who has had it knows. and it will probably be a day by day assessment. her name was also on the color in june and they had her name removed from that so i assume

the effort on that part of the palace is to take pressure off of her, to not give her due dates and obligations she has to be at and just to let her heal. i think this video will go a long way, gillian, to answer your question of putting a lot of those really very scandalous rumors that have been floating out there to bed for now. >> john: as we have seen for decades the royal family is not just one person. it's obviously the head of state, the queen, the can, however it might be but the other members of the royal family all play a big part in sort of the public front of buckingham palace. now you have the king who has been sidelined, the princess of wales has been sidelined, harry is sidelined, andrew is sidelined, this will put a lot of pressure on prince william to carry out his real duties at the same time that he is caring for his wife. >> you are absolutely right, john, and queen camilla. many people thought would not be in the position she is in, she

was crowned at his coronation as the queen consort last summer, early last summer. now the pressure is on the two of them and it is important to point out that of all these people in many ways, catherine is seen as being the future of the monarchy. she has brought an injection of youth and grace and poise into this establishment. i think she was very close to queen elizabeth and queen elizabeth looked at william as the future of the monarchy and obviously charles is not the case now, they are the future a an end you see an enormous rallying around the princess of wales on this news and it will be extra and are in the days and weeks to come. >> gillian: i think you are right on that front, martha. thank you for jumping on this we love to get your take on all

matter related to the royals, thank you so much. >> see you in a bit. >> gillian: let's. dr. janette nesheiwat fox news medical contributor, what you make of what the royal family and what kate says in the video? >> hey, gillian, it's heartbreaking to hear this but i commend her for coming forth and putting forth this statement. it's really not a huge surprise, she had a massive surgery not long ago. when you have such a large surgery, when your doctor says you have to be out two or three months, that tells you it is something significant and something serious. for me i think of cancers, i think of think of endometrial cancers, uterine cancer and even cervical cancers on the rise in women and in men as well as far as colon cancer. so we don't know exactly what cancer she has. this is why it is so important to have your preventative screening tests to see your

doctor routinely because if we can catch the cancer in its earliest stages, usually for most cancers that means a better prognosis. for example the stage one, stage ii, stage iii, sage four cancers so you want to catch it before it spreads to other organs and your lymph nodes which makes it easier to -- >> john: having some problems with her connection, i'm sure it will come back it's an in and out type of thing, doc are you with us? >> i am still with you can you hear me now? >> john: we missed the end of what you said, you froze. >> talking to you from work. >> john: we will try to get a better connection with dr dr. nashua and she was talking how cancer is staged, stage one is in early stages and is localized all the way up to

stage four which means to spread widely throughout the body. now gardner is with us former policy advisor to margaret thatcher, the world is shocked by yet another deck cancer diagnosis and the royal family and this is not some thae ever expected with the princess of wales. >> thank you for having me on the short of. of course very sad news from london. the princess of wales kate middleton is popular with the british people and is greatly loved. this is immensely sad news but also the same time i think as mentioned earlier the british people will be b rattle to rallying around the princess of wales supporting her, praying for her and hoping she has a swift and full recovery. but certainly of course this is very, very sad news.

and it's very unfortunate as well in the background there has been a real campaign of disinformation coming from the critics of the monarchy. a lot of horrible rumors out there coming from those who wish the royal family harm. i think it's absolutely appalling and disgraceful we've seen in this campaign of hate against the princess of wales recently. >> john: thank you for your thoughts, stay with us if you will for a second we want to divert for a moment, we will come back to you, dr. nicole saphier is on the film with us now. doc you are a board-certified, this is in your area of expertise, as a radiologist, what do you make of what we have heard for the princess of wales? >> obviously this diagnosis is a devastating diagnosis we don't want to speculate too much but

undergoing an operation in early september they decided what i had been on was not cancerous it's usually common it's gynecological maybe she had her uterus or over is removed may be a benign tumor on the ovary but then they found out it was cancerous and now they are recommending her undergo what she is calling preventative chemotherapy. the most likely thing in my eyes at this time is some sort of gynecological cancer, ovarian, but also there is a rise in types of cancer in young women so all we can do our thoughts and prayers for kate middleton. i am sure we will get more information as time goes on but often times they will go back in and perhaps create more of the lining of the abdominal cavity to make sure that if any of the cancer cells got past the peritoneal cavity, i'm sure

she's getting full body imaging, test and pelvic may be a pet scan, until we know the exact type of cancer it's hard to tell the future course will be. chemotherapy is certainly physically and mentally trying for an individual is probably why she stayed outside the public eye, she wants to stay with her family and take care of herself and that's what i would be doing if i were in her position and if this is something i was concerned about given how much time she would be taking out of the public eye i was worried that there was some sort of cancer diagnosis. nuts just because that's what i see every day but it's quite common especially in younger people these days. >> gillian: dr. saphier, can you talk to us a little bit about in a general way the experience of going through a major surgery like this, the recovery from that, knowing it is somewhere abdominal he located plus now she mentioned in the video she is in the early

stages of a course of chemotherapy, what does that experience generally like for patients? can you talk to us about physical vigor and energy levels and that kind of thing? >> sure, abdominal surgery whether it's from something cancerous or noncancerous, that is certainly trying on the body. you have to physically recover from that before you can even start processing and apprehending what the pathology is. she was physically recovering from this abdominal surgery when she got the news she has cancer, that is a massive blow to her. so once she was strong enough from recovery from the surgery, once they have put together her chemotherapy course, now is the time to start chemotherapy. it's possible they had to put a port in and that is something that is implanted under the skin of the chest with a catheter going right into one of the larger vessels going right into the heart. it is for easy access chemotherapy, it's possible she has this port placed and once you start undergoing chemotherapy now again there are

many different regiments of chemotherapy and they all come in various different side effects, however the most common side effects are severe nausea. fatigue. some people will lose their hair. some people will have neuropathy or nerve change sensations. it is certainly very hard on the individual, and then when you add you are still being a mom to three children, there is a mental component just as hard as the physical. >> john: yes, doc, back to what you were saying earlier about what type of cancer it could be, and listening to what kate said, she said she underwent surgery, it was initially found to be noncancerous, and then on further examination was determined to be cancer. it was that suggestive to you and your experience upon close examination of whatever was removed it didn't look like there was cancer but as they got to the cellular level of pathology they may have found just a few cancerous cells?

if that is the case what with the prognosis be? >> look, if she underwent surgery like a hysterectomy to remove a mass on her ovaries most masses removed from the ovaries are benign. no when you actually the pathologist gets it and they start looking for the different layers of it they find cancerous cells in there and it's not one-size-fits-all commute it's not you just have it or you don't there are many, many different types of cancer. even ovarian cancer there are a handful of different types so it's possible just by looking at it may be her blood type when you check someone's blood from certain levels they are raised sometimes it isn't sometimes is not they were thinking it was benign because some levels weren't raised but it's not foolproof, it doesn't mean there aren't some cancers there. but i will tell you one good thing is the fact they went into

the surgery believing it wasn't cancer, that's a pretty good sign that whatever it was was localized to the area they are removing. now if there is a more widespread process throughout her entire peritoneal cavity which is what we call peritoneal carcinoma ptosis, that is stage four. it sounds like it was probably localized. so in my opinion the fact that she called it preventative chemotherapy, that is a good indicator for me that may be it was early on localized and they are really doing this to prevent it from spreading and coming back. >> gillian: you mentioned briefly, dr. saphier, the mental component of going through something like this. recovering from a major surgery with the physical aspect of recovery and getting a diagnosis like this what is the best thing summary like a princess can do

to take care of their mental health when they are faced with someone like this? >> gosh, i talked to people about this every single day. actually in the book i have coming out one of my patients is coming out in my book "love mom, donna." all i can ever do is do your best. one of the things i have heard my patients say they talk about the good days and the bad days and it's okay to have bad days. some days she probably is not going to feel well. maybe she needs to stay in bed, maybe she will be throwing up, she will not be able to do all the same activities she was doing before being on chemotherapy. on the good days she is feeling good, the day she is feeling strong and believe me she will have those good days, those are the days she will need to try and get up. spend the active time with the kids. go to some of the outings if she

feels up for it. on the bad days, she needs to forgive herself for being able to stay inside and lay in bed because she doesn't take care of herself she will be no good for anyone else on any of those other days. this is when the family and the support system really is very important everyone rallies around her and helps her. because the last thing she should be feeling guilty for spending time with her children because she is doing every thing she can run out to save her life so she can be there for her children. >> john: doxxed, is there a difference in terms of side effects between preventive chemotherapy regimen and an active treatment regimen? >> i wouldn't necessarily term it preventative versus active treatment, there are various different side effects based on what the "cocktail" is she is being given. usually if you're trying to prevent someone from having metastatic disease it can be a very similar cocktail as if you are just trying to treat

someone's metastatic disease. >> gillian: is there any chance -- the palace releases and reveals so little information about the health of any of the members of the royal family, but one thing that she, the princess herself, wanted to be open about and was was that she suffered with, and i will probably mispronounce this, but the hyper mesa's gravity room during trickle of her pregnancies, she talked about how she was bedridden from weeks and months with two of her children during trickle of their pregnancies. she talked about being sick all the time, i think it involved nausea and vomiting. is there any reason to believe there were any sort of precursors to the cancer she is now suffering with? or is that nothing we can say about that at this point? >> that's a really good question, but it's a pathologic morning sickness where you have severe nausea that some people

are even hospitalized requiring iv fluids, kate middleton did say she suffered from that. i would certainly not tie that into anything going on right now. even if it does come out this is an old ovarian cancer or some other gynecological moment, i wouldn't necessarily tie those together but if she has had her fair share of gun cortical issues which is unsurprising one she is having abdominal surgery the first in the camp ta hysterectomy because she has said she has some gynecological issues. and most abdominal surgeries and a 40 something-year-old woman tend to be for benign reasons even if there is a tumor it tends to be benign so this is probably quite a shock to her. she is quite young. she is still younger the average person to have an ovarian cancer or any other gynecological issue but again it could be something else, something a little more obscure, appendix cancer is on

the rise in young women and that is something that's just reported on last summer. until we get a final pathology, it's hard what to say but coming things being common i would be looking at this point some sort of gynecological malignancy, most tend to arise from the tubes that connect to the ovaries to the uterus. >> john: doxed come on we talk about the way forward, former colleague of mine had a carcinoma on an ovary that was found early, it was operated ona round of chemotherapy, former colleague has been cancer free for almost a decade now. what is the way forward for her in terms of treatment, how long she will be in chemotherapy, have the monitoring after that? >> once you have a cancer diagnosis, that stays with you for life. you have that worry it will come back but the good news is when

you find cancer early, and you initiate treatment, you are giving your best chance of survival and as you are mentioning, john, carcinoma is one of the lesser aggressive ovarian malignancies compared to the others that there can be. if whatever she has was caught early and she is undergoing treatment right now there is a very good chance that she can go on to live a long and healthy life. it sounds like she's doing everything right. she will continue to have scans throughout her life, she may be having some blood work, but right now the initial step is getting through the first round of chemotherapy and it is likely somewhere between 6-12 courses so that should take her somewhere between 3-6 months. and we can go from there. and if it seems there is no sign of disease or no evidence of disease after the end, these rounds of chemotherapy may label her as no evidence of disease and she can go on about her life just having some screening scans in her future. i can only hope that is what is going to happen for her and,

again, if they went into it feeling they didn't think she had cancer makes me think she didn't have widespread disease, and that is a great sign. it alludes to me maybe they didn't catch it early and maybe this time next year this will be a thing from the past for her. >> gillian: dr. saphier, thank you for jumping in. if you could be so kind to standby we will circle back with you. we appreciate your analysis is always. >> john: at the bottom of the hour now, just a half-hour ago we got shocking news out of buckingham palace. in the form of a video from the princess of wales, kate middleton, about a diagnosis following surgery she had in january. the world had wondered what in the heck was going on, there were all sorts of speculation of what it might be, kate put that speculation to rest a short time ago. let's replay that video for you now in its entirety. >> i want to take this opportunity to say thank you,

personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst i have been recovering from surgery. it has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but i've had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me for which i am so grateful. in january i underwent major abdominal surgery in london. and at that time, it was thought my condition was noncancerous. the surgery was successful, however tests after the operation found cancer had been present. my medical team therefore advised that i should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and i am now in the early stages of the treatment. this, of course, came as a huge shock, and william and i have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. as you can imagine this has taken time. it has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to

start my treatment, but most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to george, charlotte, and louis in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them i am going to be okay. as i have said to them, i am well. and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal. in my mind, body, and spirit. having william by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. as the love and support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you, it means so much to us both. we hope you will understand that as a family we now need some time, space, and privacy while i complete my treatment. my work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and i look forward to being back when i am able. but for now, i must focus on making a full recovery. at this time, i am also thinking of all of those whose lives have been affected by cancer.

for everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. you are not alone. >> gillian: in typical fashion she is opening up the conversation, offering words of encouragement and hope for others who face similar diagnoses, a beautiful message from the princess of wales. let's go bring an benjamin hall who joins us from london. benji, what is your first reaction to this devastating news? >> i think first of all it puts to bed all of those rumors that a been swinging around the last couple of months to be honest. i think the princess of wales, kate, it was very clear about what comes first right now which is her family. as a family we now need some time, some space, some privacy, which frankly they have not been given over the last couple of months. she said also she told her children as i said to them, i am well. you have to imagine when you have a diagnosis like this you

have to think of your children. prince george is ten years old, and h where you understand cancer. you understand what can happen with a disease like that. her focus has been on that despite all the surrounding rumors that a been going on. and of course this is on the back of king charles also receiving cancer diagnosis or a real hit for the family as well. but i think her message spoke to everyone, it spoke to other people who had cancer, it spoke to people about families, they told you about her getting back to work and talked a few times about her relationship in a sense with william that it was a comfort to have her him by her side. and perhaps about marital disputes she has put those rumors to bed and it's clear in the country i am embarking now on a period of recovery and i am grateful for all of the support i have been getting. certainly something many people were not expecting, but we will see how it plays out. >> john: benji, when we played that video you get a sense the

princess of wales really is the true embodiment of a first-class person. when you consider everything that was being said about her during her absence come all the comedians taking the mickey out of her for it and the naysayers on twitter and all the other platforms, they are looking at this and saying oh, my god, we are all going to hell. >> what a balance she has had to play right now. announcing to the public to the whole world she is going through this but doing so in a way in a video that is so calm, so collected, and so honest at this point. so, yes, she is the future as is prince william of the royal family. prince charles wanted to have a royal family and they are seen as the future so this is a big hit in that sense as well. so you have to remember also in the last week there were reports of people trying to break in and get her medical records from the hospital she was in, people

doing whatever they can to really try and examine and get into her life. and then of course there was a picture with that came out on mother's day, british mother's day over here which they said was doctored so the press took it down so that fueled the spirit superiors as well. now i think all of those really have been put to bed. >> gillian: she did close out her message with sort of a plea to the public to allow her family some privacy as they navigate this. is there -- i mean you know from covering the royal family being in the u.k., intimately how about coverage is conducted. is there any reasonable expectation that she might be given some privacy for the foreseeable future at least temporarily? or is that just a pipe dream? >> i mean i think in the british press release announcement she made today yes, she certainly will be given some. but we have seen other networks around the world who have not been the same. they do not bide the same restrictions some of the british press to.

we'll see what a diagnosis like this i think everyone around the world understands how serious cancer is and if she is going to chemotherapy right now how serious it is. i think in this case there is a reason for the press to perhaps hold back. we know exactly what stage she is in this diagnosis come we don't know how much the chemotherapy she has had already, we expected to see her back after easter is what she initially says and she initially said it was not cancerous, subsequent to what had led to this and the department of defense has said she would be attending the trooping of the color in june so there is no schedule right now because they pulled that back so we don't how long she'll be on the surface but we will see william fill her shoes and a bigger way. >> john: to that end, the role of the princess of wales was changed in a dramatic way with princess diana and has fallen to kate to kind of keep up that forward leaning image as well. obviously she is off the global

stage now for a time, we do pray for her and hope she will be back as soon as possible. but the king is also sidelined. with the duties that fall to william, he is really it for the time being because camilla is not out there in public that much. >> it will be tough for the royal family, prince harry of course is not a working royal, press and are no a working royal. we may see more prince edward and princess anne, perfect stomach perhaps they will fulfill their roles but the p.r. on william and kate will see who will lead some of the events they usually go we'll see how it plays out but i think the eyes of the world will give her some privacy. kate has managed to do two thinks, she has been in the world stage and has a lot of events but she also insists on having a family life. she likes to have dinners at

home without staff which doesn't sound very grand but for the royal family that's very big. she wanted to focus on her children and sold she has a balance that so and i think she is bouncing her family first talking to her children and sort of trying to explain what's going on in making sure they don't get too much tension from the press while they are going through something as well because it's difficult for the children as well as it's difficult for her and the whole family. she will try to balance out as well i'm sure get work done mike to work as fast as she can because she loves her work and is doing work for other people with cancer and are homeless and in bad situation so she would get a lot of work which he does come back. >> gillian: you are no stranger to cherishing your family and talking to very young children about incredibly difficult, scary things. to put it mildly. after everything you went through in the ukraine and with your recovery, how do you manage a situation like this where, as you are, a public facing person

managing personal tragedy, personal extraordinary challenges, and talking through your children along with you as you go through these things that are very scary, how does one do that? >> i mean it is something that you have to do very openly and you have to talk to children and tell them exactly what's going on the way i had to do so. i've had a number of conversations with my own children about things i didn't expect to speak to them about for quite a few years and i am sure that is exactly what william and kate have been doing over the last few weeks as well in talking to their children but it will get her through, i know that full well as well. those are the people who give you the most comfort. those are the people who drive you on. i think this family will help her in the way it helped me as well. >> john: that is terrific. i think benji will have to have a word with his dog as well. benji we will leave you for a moment and thank you for joining us. >> gillian: thank you.

>> john: let's bring former policy advisor to margaret thatcher, gardner, to the point benji was making earlier all the rank speculation, the ridicule, that kate was being subjected to from people around the world particularly in british media there are an awful lot of people who will be sitting down at the dinner table tonight for a healthy serving of crow. >> yes, absolutely, there were an awful lot of conspiracy theories out there come a lot of nasty stuff actually. some saying that the princess of wales was no longer alive. really vicious rumors circulating were absolutely outrageous. as we saw from kate middleton's video earlier, she is someone of immense grace. who lives her life or her country, they have this tremendous spirit of service

about her and in many respects the royal family is all about. there is a reason she is incredible to popular among the british people. the british people love her very dearly. i hope this video now will put to rest all of the horrible nasty conspiracy theories that are swirling around there are a lot of people out there of course that hates a monarchy, i say it's a minority but this video really is a direct response to the nasty conspiracy theorists out there and the princess of wales is such a wonderful, lovely person, and she just has this tremendous service and heart that is admirable, the vast majority are running around her right now in support of her and of course

support of the monarchy and the crown. >> gillian: now that we know what the what is here after weeks and months of speculation when you look back, what do you make of the way the palace pr team handled this very personal tragedy for the family? >> that is a very good question. i think the palace has certainly come out of a lot of fire for its handling of the last few weeks and i expect that with this announcement no, i think the criticism of the palace will subside in the u.k. the focus now will be the well-being of the princess of wales and her recovery but undoubtedly of course there has been lots of secrecy surrounding the health of the princess of wales. that is not unusual, of course, when it comes to matters of the

royal family. the palace of course is very protective of members of the royal family that have been the king as well in terms of his diagnosis. and they will continue to be very, very protective in terms of the messaging. but i expect, really, the whole country will rally around the princess of wales and the monarchy also. i think the british people will be cheering on the princess of wales hoping for a very swift and full recovery for her. >> john: niles, she is such a lovely person, she exudes class. why would people be so cruel to her in now what has turned out to be a dire situation for her? >> that is next in point, we have seen some incredible cruelty frankly from people on twitter on the internet

making all sorts of allegations against the princess of wales. some of this it has to be said has been driven by supporters of meghan and harry certainly on twitter. i think that is been the case, people who say they support meghan and harry, it is nasty stuff. at some of the nastiest, i think, allegations we have seen in the history of twitter now known as x. and the contrast of course between this file, vicious stuff on twitter and the wonderful heart that the princess of wales has is absolutely stunning here. the princess of wales really embodies isaac a spirit of service and a spirit of sacrifice for king and country and there is a measure of

between the princess of wales character and the nastiness we are seeing on those who are attacking her there is a huge gulf here. and the princess of wales has tremendous class she is a wonderful person. she has a wonderful spirit about her. and i think she is going to fight against this cancer with all of her heart and she will win it on behalf of the royal family and the british people which i think she will prevail and succeed in this. >> gillian: on the side of the atlantic a lot of americans are invested in seeing a reconciliation between formerly prince harry who now lives here and william, do you think this might open the door sometimes families going through tragedy are brought closer together? bringing some sort of reconciliation do you think or no chance?

>> that's a great question it remains to be seen. i am not hopeful on that front. there is immense bad blood between william and harry, but i think this is largely driven of course by harry and meghan's relentless attacks upon the royal family, and some of the nasty things that have been said about the princess of wales and the prince of wales by a specially meghan markle. i think she has said a lot of very unpleasant things and harry has stood there and accepted it. so i don't think we will see a reconciliation between them any time soon. and i think really harry has to make an apology to william and to kate, really, before anything can move forward here. i think the relentless attacks upon the monarchy from harry and megan have been an absolute

disgrace. they are now deeply unpopular figures in the united kingdom. and i do not see any kind of reconciliation happening anytime soon. and there does need to be an apology i think from both harry and meghan to the prince and princess of wales and to the british royal family as a whole. >> gillian: all right, niles, thank you for sharing your expertise. >> john: thank you very much. >> giappreciate it, let's go to duncan the former editor of the sun, i'm sure you were shocked as the rest of us were. >> hi, yes, it has been a big shock. when the palace announced kate was going to spend to grow weeks in for abdominal surgery, and then need three months recovery, i think everybody knew it was something quite serious but i don't think any of us thought it would be as serious as what we

discovered this evening. >> what do you make of this announcement being from kate directly, put forward obviously in a video by the palace. it would it have been easier to put a written statement, they wanted everyone to hear from her directly? >> i mean that is a really good point. that is the old adage under a queen you never explain and never complain, you get on. but that was presocial media days. what we have seen since kate disappeared off the radar in january. it is growing as well as conspiracy theories and goodness knows what.

this video she had to pose for which i'm sure he would not wanted to have done shows the death of never complain never explain the royals cannot disappear off the radar as if nothing is going on behind the scenes. this is all relevant and it has done nothing more i would argue then rally the british public behind her. >> john: duncan maybe it's not the total death of never explained of complain, maybe just the death of never explain but never complain is alive and well. she was so poised and so graceful and dignified. it was such a heartwarming message for others facing the same as she is. >> look, i first thought of kate

in 2005, since then as william's girlfriend and then his wife. and icon literally put down on paper a single thing she has done wrong there is nothing and to confront the situation in her life, yet again seeing the incredible dignity and, frankly, amicable, the public will simply love her more as a result of this video announcement today to reach out to other people who have gone through cancer as so many families have been one way or another. >> gillian: i asked our colleague benjamin hall a moment ago whether he expects catherine and the entire royal family can have any expectation of privacy now. at least temporarily as she undergoes chemotherapy in the coming weeks. curious what you think about that.

>> i think one thing we can read into the video message that has come to light is that quite clearly no doctors and kate are not going to make that deadline they have put out saying she will be back around and about by easter time. we are a week away from easter. and quite clearly she was not available publicly questions would be asked, so my conspiracy theories as well. i don't think we will see kate now. i really don't. i think it is basically now a chance for her to focus solely on this community therapy stomach, chemotherapy and i don't think we will see her in o knows when, but the deadline

the palace has always maintained. >> john: duncan we have two very prominent members of the royal family, one of them the monarch himself who have withdrawn from public view battling cancer. what will the effect be on the royal family in terms of its public presence? over the months ahead? >> i think there is a two fold without really. yes, it is difficult for the royals and it's obviously horrendous, frankly, for them to have to face this. kate and charles are the two most popular members of the royal family. but i think longer term than that, i think the outpouring of public support, this is not going to do them any harm in the long run. the king is popular and kate in incredibly popular. and i think there will remain in outpouring of support for them.

i think where they go wrong is in secrecy and in the gulf of secrecy, conspiracy theories. now i think the public will really rally behind both him and kate. >> gillian: knowing the corporate part of the palace runs as you do the so-called "firm" would you imagine they are allowing catherine to dictate the way this is handled publicly? or do you think they are instructing her how to move forward with this? when it comes to the public? >> that is a good point. i think the reality is the palace and individual members of the royal family do not talk about their own private health situations as they can possibly help it. i think what we are seeing here

is kate going public not because she has been told to by the palace, but because there is really no other option. the palace have maintained that she will be back doing royal jobs and visible after easter and as i say that's only a week away. that's clearly not going to happen. i think the way her advisors have come up with this, absolutely unprecedented release with kate addressing directly is a master move if i'm honest and i think it will do nothing but rally the country behind her, frankly. >> john: we will be watching the days, weeks, and months ahead, dr. good to have you with us today. appreciated. now back to nile gardiner former foreign policy advisor to margaret thatcher, to duncan's

point, there is unprecedented transparency here in the royal family, the fact that kate sat down and made this video, that has never been done before. so, there is a much greater public openness in terms of the royal family but we still don't know the whole story because we don't know what type of cancer she has been diagnosed with. because her prognosis would depend a lot on what type of cancer it is. we also don't know what type of cancer the king has. >> yes, there is a very good point. the video today, of course, is a remarkable step forward in terms of transparency and openness from the royal family but at the same time buckingham palace not revealing the exact nature of the cancer for the princess of wales and also for the king. there are limits i think to the level of openness and transparency we are going to see, buckingham palace i think

is naturally being very, very protected. i think this certainly was the right decision taken by the princess of wales and undoubtedly by the princess of wales to make this video announcement because it should silence all of the conspiracy theorists out there. this was a very powerful statement from the princess of wales. very moving. and i think this was certainly the right decision taken by the princess of wales. and i think the entire country will rally around her now, but i don't expect we will see further immediate announcements about the exact nature of the count of the princess of wales. >> gillian: and william now in this incredibly different position where he has to support her while she goes through her recovery, and as john mentioned a moment ago it's very likely he

will have to assume the bulk of the family's public facing appearances at least while his father is going through cancer as well. >> exactly. i do think prince william has been absolutely outstanding in his present role. he absolutely looks like the future king of england. thank god for william, really, because he is the future, of course, of the monarchy. he is representing his father in so many ways right now. i think all british people are greatly thankful that we have the prince of wales and the princess of wales as well who are playing such a critically important role in the long-term future of the monarchy. i do think william has been absolutely outstanding in his role. and he very much looks like a

future king of england and every single respect. >> john: nile, we thank you for being with us and our breaking news coverage this hour, great to get your thoughts, thank you. >> >> we watching and waiting in the days ahead. she is a lovely person and it's the same -- shame something like this happen to her but she has strength and commitment and she says she's going to be this. hopefully it's in the early stages and shall be absolutely fine when she comes of the other side. >> we hope the international press corps can give her what she has asked for. the close of her video today which is a little bit of a reprieve from the public scrutiny. >> a lot of people hanging their heads in shame today after the things, the horrible things that were said about her in her absence. that'll wrap it up for us. have a good weekend we will see you again on monday. >> a story with martha starts right now. >> thank you very much, good afternoon everybody i am