King Charles Thanks ‘Selfless Doctors’ Who Cared for Him and Kate Middleton Amid Cancer Battles

King Charles III shared his gratitude this holiday season and thanked the “selfless doctors and nurses” who helped him and daughter-in-law Princess Kate Middleton fight their separate cancer battles earlier this year.

“From a personal point of view, I offer special heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed,” Charles, 76, said during his Christmas service speech at St Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk on Wednesday, December 25. “I am deeply grateful too to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.”

King Charles was accompanied by wife Queen Camilla, son Prince William, Kate, 42, and grandchildren, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, at their annual Christmas religious celebration. The royals embraced fans who greeted them during their walk inside the church and stopped to chat with Reverend Canon Paul Williams after the service.

The beginning of 2024 was filled with heartbreaking news for family members of the royal family. In February, it was revealed that Charles was diagnosed with cancer.

“I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days,” Charles later said in a statement via Instagram. “As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”

One month later, Kate announced she was diagnosed with an unidentified type of cancer after undergoing planned abdominal surgery in January.

“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in early stages of that treatment,” Kate said in a video via X on March 22. “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 [the kids] in a way that is appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be OK.”

Both Charles and Kate temporarily took a step away from their royal duties to tend to their health – and lean on each other for support. In April, a source exclusively told In Touch that Kate “always lifts Charles’ spirits” by discussing big future milestones and engaging in common activities.

“He’s really into nature and so if she sees something or a place that they can go to together when they’re feeling up to it she shares that with him,” the insider explained. “She’s always telling her mom to make extra food to drop off for Charles too.”

Kate gave fans a big health update in September when she announced she completed her preventative chemotherapy treatment and was cancer-free. Meanwhile, Charles temporarily paused his cancer treatments to attend the eight-day tour between Australia and Samoa with Camilla, 77, between October 18 and October 26.

“They’ve already shortened the tour to accommodate his illness,” a second source exclusively told In Touch in a story published on October 16. “It’s just another example of the extraordinary work ethic he got from his mother [Queen Elizabeth II], who fulfilled her duties up until her last day alive.”

Prince William, 42, addressed his father and wife’s cancer battles while labeling 2024 as the most “dreadful” and “hardest year” of his life.

“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,” William said during an interview in Cape Cod on November 7, per People. “But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”