Kate Middleton Effect: Visits To Cancer Website Surge After Prince William's Wife Announced Diagnosis

The Kate Middleton effect was in full swing after the Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis.

Prince William's wife opened up about her health condition in a video released last Friday. The Duchess of Cambridge shared that she was diagnosed with cancer after her abdominal surgery in January. After seeing her emotional clip, many visited the NHS website's cancer page.

The visits to the NHS website reportedly increased by nearly fivefold. Cancer Research U.K. and Macmillan also noticed a surge in online traffic, the Daily Mail reported.

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Matt Wilkinson, the royal editor of The Sun, took to X, formerly Twitter, and shared a snap of Middleton on a newspaper's front page with the headline "Brave Kate Saves Lives" because "she sparks huge surge in cancer symptom checks." He added that following Middleton's cancer announcement, there was a 15% rise in visits to the Cancer Research website, the MacMillan Cancer site had the highest hits since COVID and the NHS cancer page had a new visitor every 3 seconds.

Google showed that data searches for "cancer" skyrocketed 16 times in the U.K. at 6 p.m. on Friday. The searches were 50% higher than usual up into Sunday evening. The searches for "abdominal surgery," the procedure Middleton underwent before her cancer announcement, also increased by 35 to 40%, The Sun reported.

Professor Peter Johnson, cancer chief at NHS England, praised Middleton for opening up about her condition. He said that by speaking out, the Princess of Wales could help save lives.

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"Receiving a cancer diagnosis turns your life upside down, and speaking about it can be really difficult," Johnson said, per The Sun. "The Princess of Wales bravely speaking out about her diagnosis will help others to do the same. Thanks to this, we have seen a spike in people visiting vital information on our website about signs and symptoms. There is no doubt that talking about cancer saves lives if it encourages people to come forward sooner if things aren't right."

Cancer Research U.K. CEO Michelle Mitchell added that Middleton's broadcast, which prompted many to also check on their health, could mean early diagnosis for many.

"These figures show how high-profile cancer cases can encourage people to find out more or think about their own health," she added. "If people spot something that's not normal for them or isn't going away, they should check with their GP. Spotting cancer at an early stage means treatment is more likely to be successful."

Meanwhile, Macmillan CEO Gemma Peters acknowledged that many could relate to the Prince and Princess of Wales, as they often hear from people who are worried about how cancer will affect their family. Parents diagnosed with cancer reportedly wonder how it would affect their kids and if they should open up about the condition with them.

"In sharing her news, the Princess of Wales has raised awareness of these worries and will be helping to encourage others who have concerns to visit their GP and seek support," Peters said.