Princess of Wales Kate Middleton has announced she has been diagnosed with cancer – and is undergoing chemotherapy.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition was not cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, post-operative tests showed that cancer had returned. As a result, my medical team advised me to undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” the Princess of Wales said in the video.
The 42-year-old wife of the heir to the British throne, Prince William, has been in hospital for two weeks after undergoing surgery. Her office said the operation was to address a non-cancerous condition but did not elaborate.
Princess Kate and Prince William at their wedding in 2011
Reuters
Princess Kate has not appeared at a public event since she and other royals attended a church service on Christmas Day .
Her absence from public view has sparked a wave of speculation on social media.
The latest video was filmed on March 20 and released on March 22, coinciding with the start of Kate and William’s children’s school holidays, as they have sought privacy about her cancer diagnosis up until this point.
“Of course this has been a huge shock, and William and I have done everything we can to deal with this privately for the benefit of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery and to begin treatment. But most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that suits them, and reassure them that I will be fine.”
The news is the latest health concern for the British royal family after King Charles revealed in February that he would undergo treatment for cancer.
Princess Kate ‘s office said it would not give further details about the type of cancer that had been detected, citing the princess’s right to medical privacy.