Monaco's Prince Albert and Princess Charlene send prayers to Pope Leo XIV after cancer diagnosis

Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monaco have sent a signed personal letter to Pope Leo XIV after his diagnosis with lung cancer.

The letter is dated 12 October and carries Prince Albert's official signature. It was written on behalf of Princess Charlene and their family. The Palace shared it on its official social media accounts on Wednesday 14 October, according to Hello! Magazine.

The wording is personal. Prince Albert and Princess Charlene said they were "deeply moved" by the Pope's "trying time". They assured him of their "filial support and fervent prayers". Filial support, in this context, means the loyalty and affection owed by members of the Catholic Church to the Pope.

The letter was also sent in the names of their children. Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella are 11-year-old twins. Prince Albert signed for all four of them.

The message follows a recent meeting. Prince Albert and Princess Charlene had met Pope Leo XIV about two weeks before the statement was published. No further detail of that audience was given.

Pope Leo XIV is 71. He underwent surgery on Tuesday 13 October at the Gemelli hospital in Rome. The operation lasted 90 minutes. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung.

Tests after the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer that starts in glandular cells. Reuters described it as a common form of lung cancer, in reporting on 13 October. The surgery itself provided the tissue that confirmed the diagnosis, as reported by WHDH.

The Vatican said the operation was successful with no complications. It said the Pope awoke normally and returned to his room.

He is expected to remain in hospital for around a week. Audiences are cancelled until 20 October.

Pope Leo XIV was elected head of the Catholic Church on 8 May 2025. He succeeded Pope Francis, who died in April at the age of 88.