King Charles and Princess Kate share a deeply personal battle with cancer. And now a newly revealed historical link shows that their families were united in that struggle long before either was born.
According to research revealed by Australian historian Michael Reed and reported by The telegraphancestors of the monarch and princess of wales worked together almost a century ago to promote cancer research. In 1925, King Charles’ great-uncle, the 6th Earl of Harewood, and Princess Kate’s great-great-great-uncle, Sir Charles Lupton, co-founded the British Empire Cancer Campaign’s Yorkshire Council.
The discovery comes as both royals have been exposed to cancer treatment in recent years. Kate is now in remission after chemotherapy, while the King is expected to taper off his treatment in the new year.
Reed found that Viscount Henry Lascelles served as the council’s first president, with Sir Charles Lupton as its vice-president. Princess Mary, King Charles’ great-grandmother, later took on the role of president until her death in 1965. Their work is marked by a 100-year booklet entitled “a century of saving lives”, along with an anniversary ball at Castle Howard.
“I felt it was very poignant that even though the princess and King Charles’ ancestors were both aristocratic men, they chose to get their hands dirty in a really tough campaign for a disease that, in 1925, baffled most leading scientists,” Reed said.
He added: “I believe that this new knowledge of both their families, which have a historically strong connection to cancer research, will contribute to both the King and Princess’s determination to continue to fight the disease.”
Earlier this month, the king reiterated that commitment in a Stand Up to Cancer message, saying: “I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming,” while urging the public to make early screening a priority.
