William's last-minute cancellation sparked a new royal health scare

Prince William largely pulled out of a memorial service honoring his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece, on Tuesday morning, with his office citing a “personal matter.”

The last-minute cancellation raised concerns about the health of William's family members. His father, the King, is being treated for cancer and his wife, the Princess of Wales, is recovering from abdominal surgery.

Official sources in William's office said Kate was “doing well”, and King Charles' office said there was no connection between William's cancellation and the king's health.

However, the sense of panic caused by William's cancellation announcement, although short-lived, indicates how much concern there has been about Charles' health since it was made public earlier this month that he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Charles has been taking a backseat and avoiding interactions with the public since the diagnosis was revealed and treatment began.

However, he sought to remain visible, with his team posting photos and videos of him. Charles also appears to be making a conscious effort to travel in a Rolls Royce with big windows while attending his therapy session in London.

In contrast to Charles' unprecedented health transparency, an almost complete lack of information has emerged about Kate since it was revealed she was admitted to hospital for surgery in January.

At the time, palace sources said she was unlikely to appear in public again until after Easter. No details were revealed about her condition, other than that she underwent abdominal surgery, a term that can be used to describe treatment for a large number of conditions.

Official sources said that William called the family of the late King Constantine to inform them that he was unable to attend.

Camilla attended the mass, as did Prince Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and his daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.

Constantine II was the last king of Greece, ruling from March 6, 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on June 1, 1973.