Psychologist Offers Advice on How to Talk to Kids About a Cancer Diagnosis Following Princess Kate’s Disclosure

Following Princess Kate’s announcement where she revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer and is in the early stages of treatment, a local psychologist is sharing how parents can share a diagnosis like this with their children.

Catherine, the future Queen of England announced the diagnosis in a two-minute video released Friday afternoon. Few details have been released, but it is known the diagnosis came following abdominal surgery that the princess went through in January.

Princess Kate said she thought her condition was not cancerous, but recently, cancer was confirmed.

“After the operation, a test 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 that treatment,” Princess Kate said in the video.

It is unclear exactly what type of cancer she’s been diagnosed with. However, Dr. Scot Ackerman told News4JAX that abdominal surgery can be associated with various types of cancers including:

• Stomach

• Pancreatic

• Liver

• Colorectal

• Ovarian

• Uterine

• Gallbladder

• Appendiceal

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Kate explained it has taken a toll on her and her husband, Prince William, but it has also taken a toll on her children.

“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,” she said.

Trying to tell a child this information can be challenging for any family.

News4JAX reached out to Dr. Justin D’Arienzo, who has been a clinical psychologist for 20 years.

“There are certainly right ways and wrong ways, right, but parents are the experts of their own kids. I think the first step, though, is parents typically are overwhelmed when they have their own diagnosis, so they have to ensure that they are calm and ready to talk to the child before they start talking to the child because kids, no matter what age, rely on their parents to determine how worrisome the information is or not,” D’Arienzo said.

In addition, D’Arienzo said explaining things should be based on the child’s age. However, secrecy could make things worse.

For younger children, parents can use toys, games, books or art to explain the news. With older children, parents can be more direct.

After giving the information, parents should look for mood changes, decline in school or isolation. And if you need help get a child counselor.

“If we’re concerned about our child, we should talk to the school counselor, talk to the pediatrician. Find a good child psychologist to either send the child to or to help us get information about how to either communicate or help us with our child [coping] with the situation,” D’Arienzo said.

No details were given about how long Princess Kate will be going through chemotherapy, but King Charles III has also been diagnosed with cancer, and he’s undergoing treatment.