The Guardian view on the Princess of Wales: she has the right to heal privately | Editorial

Curiosity about Catherine's condition was inevitable. Now we know she is being treated for cancer, her family must be left alone

A cancer diagnosis is shocking for anyone, but particularly for younger people, in whom cancer is much rarer. In the UK, adults aged 25 to 49 account for 9% of new cases. For people with dependent children, this dreadful news can be even harder to manage; sometimes the person most upset by bad news is not the patient. It was clear from Friday's video recording of the Princess of Wales that the impact of her illness on her three children - aged 10, eight and five - was foremost among the reasons why the news was kept from the public until then. Her explanation resonated with millions of people, whatever their opinions about the royal family.

The sharing of more details about the future queen's health was inevitable. Her three-month absence, after a 13-day hospital stay and abdominal surgery in January, led to an information vacuum. The coincidence of the king's cancer diagnosis - and the fact that the pair were in the same private London hospital at the same time - served to magnify interest in the royal family's health.