Musician and actor Martin Kemp has shared a touching, personal photograph of his family with the Princess of Wales following her cancer diagnosis.
The cosy photograph, taken last year, showed a smiling Princess Kate, alongside all four members of the Kemp family: Martin, his wife Shirlie, their daughter Harley Moon, and son, radio DJ Roman Kemp, who recently announced his surprising departure from Capital Breakfast in late February.
Uploading the photo on Saturday on Instagram, Martin wrote: "Sending so much Kemp love to the Princess of Wales and all her family". His wife Shirlie also wished the couple "much love and healing" in a comment.
Kate and the Kemps
The photo was taken outside Martin and Shirley's Hertfordshire home, where Princess Kate made a short film with their son Roman discussing men and suicide as part of her Shaping Us campaign about the importance of early years in shaping adulthood.
On a frosty walk through the gardens of his parents' home, Kate spoke with Roman about the campaign. She said: "This isn't just about raising kids. It’s about shaping our futures, and shaping not only the adults we become but shaping our society, creating a happier, healthier, more nurturing world for us all to live in".
Last year, Roman told The Times: "We were sitting at the kitchen counter, with my mum and dad and my sister with all the dogs, and Kate was there with us. The funniest thing was she didn't have any shoes on because she was respectful enough to take her shoes off at the door.
"That really stuck in my head because you never see royalty with no shoes".
The Capital Breakfast host has become a strong voice in campaigning for men's mental health awareness following his BBC documentary Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency, which prompted Kate to reach out to him.
Kate's brave video message
Last week, Princess Kate shared a video message with the public to thank them for their support during her absence from public duties during what have been an "incredibly tough couple of months".
Prince William's wife revealed that she has been undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer, ending weeks of speculation to the countless conspiracy theories about her whereabouts.
In the video, the Princess asked for "time, space and privacy" while her family comes to terms with the diagnosis, and has since been flooded with messages and well-wishes from the public.
The Princess' work on mental health and the early years
Mental health has long been an interest for the Princess, and tied to this is her work with the early years sector. Over the past decade, Kate has seen first-hand how some of today's hardest social challenges have their roots in the earliest years of a person's life, hence the launch of her Shaping Us campaign in 2023, designed to raise public understanding of the crucial importance of the first five years of a child’s life.
She remains a committed champion of issues related to children's mental health and emotional wellbeing, while her husband William is particularly focused on men's mental health. The royals constantly try to highlight the need for open and honest conversations about the subject of mental health, to help people heal but to also combat the stigma around it.
In her video message Kate mentioned how her work brings her immense "joy", but how she will only be able to return to work once she has fully recovered.
It was previously thought that the mother-of-three would be back on the royal circuit after Easter, but this is now unlikely given her cancer treatment.