Prince William opens up on Princess Kate as royal absent from major event
Prince William at the D-Day celebrations today
PA
Prince William has opened up on Princess Kate as the royal was absent from a major event today.
The Prince of Wales, 41, revealed his wife "would have loved" to attend the D-Day anniversary event.
Prince William joined King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, in Portsmouth for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
After delivering a speech to the veterans who had gathered in Portsmouth, the father-of-three met with members of the public.
Prince William attended the celebrations without Kate
PA
A war hero asked the prince how his wife is going amid her ongoing cancer treatment.
The Prince of Wales told him: "She is better, thanks. She would've loved to be here today."
The royal went on to reveal how he had been speaking with women who worked at Bletchley Park as codebreakers along with Kate's grandmother, Valerie Middleton.
The royal continued: "I was reminding everyone how her grandmother served at Bletchley so she had quite a bit in common with some of the ladies here."
Prince William meeting members of the public
PA
Before this, the royal told one of the women: "My wife’s grandmother did the same sort of thing as you.
"Catherine only found out at the end of her life."
Valerie and her twin sister Mary worked in Hut 16 at Bletchley Park, now engulfed in Milton Keynes.
She was part of the team of crack codebreakers who unlocked the secrets of the German Enigma machine, ultimately helping to win the war for Britain.
Prince William giving a passionate speech in Portsmouth
PA
ROYAL LATEST:
Kate shared her cancer diagnosis with the world via videoPA Royal commentator Richard Eden reported in 2019 that Valerie "never breathed a word" when the Princess of Wales asked her about her war efforts as a child.
Kate told visiting schoolchildren during her tour of the estate near Milton Keynes in 2019: "She was so sworn to secrecy that she never felt able to tell us. When she was alive, sadly she could never talk about it."
Valerie was recruited with her twin sister Mary, Kate’s great-aunt, and they monitored diplomatic traffic from secret listening stations.
The twins were on duty when a message was intercepted that Japan had surrendered.