Kate Middleton's Cancer News Announcement Drove Record Traffic to U.K. Cancer Charity's Website

Kate Middleton’s decision to disclose her cancer diagnosis drove historic traffic to the website of a leading U.K. charity for cancer information and support.

On Monday, Macmillan Cancer Support revealed that there were nearly 100,000 visits to its online information and support pages from Friday to Sunday, following the Princess of Wales’ announcement that she is receiving cancer treatment. Macmillan said the surge marked a 10% year-over-year increase and doubled as the highest weekend traffic since March 2020, when the first COVID lockdown took effect in the U.K.

According to a statement, Macmillan's website saw a "similar spike" in February after Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles was diagnosed with cancer, where the information and support pages were visited almost 50,000 times a day.

The charity sent words of support to Princess Kate on Friday soon after she shared the "shock" news about her health in a personal video message, along with well-wishes for Prince William and their children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

"We are sending our best wishes to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. We hear from people all over the country, every day going through the experience the Princess has described, and our thoughts are also with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and their children. Many families will be sending solidarity to them," Macmillan Cancer Support wrote on X on Friday, along with a link to its cancer information and support page.

Charity officials dedicated a second message to the British royal family on Saturday, acknowledging that the news of Princess Kate’s cancer diagnosis would naturally take time to process.

"We wish the @RoyalFamily peace and some time to themselves after @KensingtonRoyal’s news yesterday. For many parents, some of the first thoughts they may have after being diagnosed with cancer are how it may affect their family, and how to tell them,” Macmillan Cancer Support said on X on Saturday. The organization also shared tips for "having a conversation about a cancer diagnosis with children" — a topic which Princess Kate discussed her personal experience with in her message on Friday.

In the video filmed by BBC Studios in the gardens of Windsor Castle on Wednesday, the Princess of Wales said that she is undergoing treatment for cancer following "major abdominal surgery" in January as post-operative tests "found cancer had been present," though it was initially understood that the issue was non-cancerous. Kate shared that she is in the "early stages" of a course of preventative chemotherapy and that the news came as a "huge shock," and that she and Prince William "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 that I am going to be ok," the Princess of Wales said.

Princess Kate may have strategically waited to make the public announcement about her health until her kids were out of the classroom. Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have attended the Lambrook School since September 2022, and the private prep is currently on a half-term break for the Easter holiday.

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A palace source told PEOPLE that the Princess of Wales "wrote every word herself" of the speech revealing her cancer diagnosis, and on Monday, Sarah Ferguson praised Princess Kate for speaking publicly about her cancer diagnosis. The Duchess of York, 64, revealed in January that she was diagnosed with skin cancer after having breast cancer, and has said the diagnoses further inspired her to drive to advocate for early cancer detection and screenings.

"All my thoughts and prayers are with the Princess of Wales as she starts her treatment," the Duchess of York, who is popularly known as Fergie, wrote on Instagram on Monday. "I know she will be surrounded by the love of her family and everyone is praying for the best outcome."

"As someone who has faced their own battles with cancer in recent months, I am full of admiration for the way she has spoken publicly about her diagnosis and know it will do a tremendous amount of good to raise awareness,” she continued. "I hope she will now be given the time, space and privacy to heal. "