Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has revealed that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is receiving chemotherapy.
The announcement came Friday in the form of an emotional video posted on Kensington Palace’s social media.
Clearing up weeks of speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding her health, the Princess of Wales further disclosed that while her abdominal surgery in January was initially believed to be for a non-cancerous condition, later tests showed the presence of cancer.
- Kate Middleton has revealed that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing “preventive chemotherapy”
- She conveys in a video message the profound shock of the news and the family's challenging period.
- Catherine, aged 42, shares the effort to explain the situation to her children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, ensuring them of her well-being.
- Successful abdominal surgery in January precedes the discovery of cancer through subsequent tests.
- Harry and Meghan wish Kate 'health and healing'
She is now undergoing “preventive chemotherapy.”
It remains unclear the type she has been diagnosed with or the prognosis.
Kate Middleton has revealed that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing “preventive chemotherapy”
Image credits: Mark Cuthbert/Getty Images
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery,” the 42-year-old said.
“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
The announcement followed a period of intense uncertainty surrounding her health, as the Princess of Wales had not made an official public appearance since Christmas.
“William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Kate said
Image credits: princeandprincessofwales
The bulk of her message focused on the “huge shock” the diagnosis has had for her family. She implied that her absence from the public sphere has been out of a need for time to explain the situation to her and Prince William’s three children: George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five.
“William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Kate said.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.”
The Princess of Wales did not specify what kind of cancer she has
View this post on Instagram
The Princess of Wales revealed that she told her children that she is “well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help [her] heal; in [her] mind, body and spirits.”
She also thanked Prince William for being by her side as “a great source of comfort and reassurance.”
The mother-of-three asked people to respect her privacy during this difficult time in her life.
“We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment.
“My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.”
The mother-of-three asked people to understand that she needs “time, space and privacy “
Image credits: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Kate finished the video with a heartfelt message to others suffering from cancer.
“For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone,” she said.
The announcement follows that of King Charles III, who disclosed that he was undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer in early February.
Following the publication of her video, Charles said that he was “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did.”
Charles remains in the “closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
The princess told her children that she is “well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help [her] heal”
Image credits: princeandprincessofwales
Kate was informed of her diagnosis following her abdominal surgery in January
Image credits: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
She will now postpone her official duties to focus on her recovery
Image credits: Karwai Tang/Getty Images
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have also spoken out on sister-in-law Kate’s diagnosis, expressing in a joint statement that they “wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Kate had “the love and support of the whole country.”
“When it comes to matters of health, like everyone else, she must be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be with her loving family,” Sunak wrote in a statement shared on social media.
The Prince and Princess of Wales wanted to wait for their children to be out of school for the Easter holidays before making the announcement, CNN reports.
While Kate was initially anticipated to resume her official duties after Easter, she will now postpone any further work until her medical team clears her to do so.
As for Prince William, he will continue his public-facing duties while supporting his wife and children, a royal source told CNN.
Kensington Palace is not expected to reveal any more details regarding Kate’s health, including the type of cancer she has or at what stage it is.
People lamented the terrible news and wished Kate a speedy recovery
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She shouldn't HAVE to explain anything except to her husband and kids. It's nobody else's business, ESPECIALLY the general public's at large.
Honestly, it has been awful hearing all the speculation about her health, and the ridiculous theories about the Mother’s Day photo. I hope everyone that indulged in whatever stupid accusation feels thoroughly ashamed of themselves. She’s clearly felt forced to do this video after her medical records were hacked this week. What a sorry world we live in.
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I watched the whole video. Her face showed her every emotion as she was speaking. My heart goes out to her and her family.
You know what? Catherine is a wife, a mum of 3, a daughter, daughter in law, sister, aunty, niece, granddaughter, a living breathing human being. To feel and face the pressure she has been living with is immense. To face what she, and so many others face, is hard. To speak out, without so much as a "poor me", takes fortitude and strength in knowing who has her best interests at heart. The gutter scraping gobshites need to stop, no amount of apologizing will ever remediate the bottom scraping you have stooped to for "likes" and "ticks". There are not enough bridges on this planet to give refuge to the gutter sniping trolls out there. Catherine will beat this.
Dog bless her. I wish princess Catherine, her husband prince William, and their children, prince George, princess Charlotte, and prince Louis all the best. Dog bless them all. Cancer is an absolute kunt. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Why did her brother in law and his wife’s message of “health and healing” have to be brought into this? Why add the drama? At the end of the day she is a human being and has been forced to out her illness because of horrendous media pressure. That should be the only message needed.
"asks for privacy" - so let's cannibalise it on BP. This page is more and more becoming the Sun, Bild, NY Post. Disgusting.
As someone who had uterus cancer and a hysterectomy to cure it, I suspected this. Honestly, it's not just the cancer, your feelings run Amock when you lose your uterus, you feel incomplete and even though I was menopausal at the time, you still feel the loss of potential motherhood, I could have had a surrogate ova and sperm for instance, now nothing is possible and at the time that door closing hurt like hell. Too old to care now but at the time it was a huge psychological impact and I feel for her. I can also only surmise it might be cervical or the lymph nodes showed signs of cancerous cells if she has to go through chemotherapy. I didn't have to, the analysis of my cancer was that it was utterly contained by my uterus wall and there was no opportunity and no signs it had spread. I dreaded chemo so much more than the hysterectomy itself, as any cancer sufferers would attest that is by far the worst part of fighting through such a disease. F**k cancer.
Her cancer and type of surgery were not disclosed, nor should it be. Surmising and speculating is an attempt at intruding on her privacy. It's ignorant and voyeuristic.
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I bet some folks are feeling a bit shamed after throwing such a fit about the barely noticeable photoshopped picture. At least, they should be.
Why? In what way did a photoshopped picture relate to her illness (which she is entirely entitled to keep private as it's her business and no one else's)?
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It's MFs like 'The Sun' newspaper that couldn't care less, they will still be stalking her !
@Birgit Sommer....Nobody in the public eye should be forced to disclose any personal and private information. Those persons should be left alone. If THEY choose to disclose it because they WANT to, that's a different story.
That poor woman, having to tell the whole world about her personal medical condition. Hope the media can leave her alone to heal but you know they won't. :( Best wishes for a full recovery, Princess.
She asked for privacy, BP. Doing what every tabloid is currently doing. Not giving her privacy by 'reporting' she wants privacy. Anyone there wake up to that ?
It's sad that she felt compelled to share something so personal. She deserves her privacy. It was hard to watch.
At both mentions of her treatment, and being OK, her eyes drop so sadly. I told my husband she has cancer a month ago, it was obvious. Her facial expressions suggest that she knows it is not just "fine". I'm not even an anglophile, but have gotten to think of her positively over the years of various media stories. I thought she will make a great queen. I'm sad to hear she may never have the chance.
No doubt you mean it kindly but I really don't think it's helpful to Kate or to anyone else who may be living with this to be quite so doom-laden. Not sure how it was 'obvious' to you before they had even heard the diagnosis. Your last sentence sounds like you've written her off. Let's not forget that she's a human being like the rest of us, and she's receiving the best possible care.
Load More Replies... Her name is not Kate Middleton. It hasn't been since she married 13 years ago. This is part of the disrespect shown to her by the media. Call her the wrong name for years, pester about photoshopped photos, bully her into explaining why she's sick. It's a wonder the Royal Family want to ever show themselves in public, if they aren't treated well in private.
...she made a public announcement... to ask for privacy. That south Park episode about them isn't even parody anymore.
She had no choice given that the whole world was speculating about her and coming up with bizarre conspiracy theories. A very different situation from the Ginger Ninja and Me-again who asked for privacy and then sold their story for millions
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As a public figure if would have been better to just come out with if weeks ago instead of letting the insinuators go nuts… She can be an example to so many… I hope she gets better.
Her family comes first, always. And just because she's a Name, doesn't mean 100% of her personal business needs told by her to the world. Public figures or not, every single human being deserves and needs privacy. Her Title and a position doesn't negate her private things and doesn't mean those don't exist any more. She chooses what to share, when to share, how to share and who to share things with. The family keeps as private as possible, anyway. She could have chosen to not tell anyone and no one would have been the wiser, despite speculation.
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She not the monarch though, King Charles is. They said she would be away until after Easter due to medical advice, why couldn't so many comprehend that? People are now trying to defend their vitriol saying they said of something sooner when there was an entire statement released.
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You do know that no matter where you are in the UK, that treatment is free? It should be that way everyone, but the US could give a s**t about its citizens.
Load More Replies...
She shouldn't HAVE to explain anything except to her husband and kids. It's nobody else's business, ESPECIALLY the general public's at large.
Honestly, it has been awful hearing all the speculation about her health, and the ridiculous theories about the Mother’s Day photo. I hope everyone that indulged in whatever stupid accusation feels thoroughly ashamed of themselves. She’s clearly felt forced to do this video after her medical records were hacked this week. What a sorry world we live in.
Load More Replies... I watched the whole video. Her face showed her every emotion as she was speaking. My heart goes out to her and her family.
You know what? Catherine is a wife, a mum of 3, a daughter, daughter in law, sister, aunty, niece, granddaughter, a living breathing human being. To feel and face the pressure she has been living with is immense. To face what she, and so many others face, is hard. To speak out, without so much as a "poor me", takes fortitude and strength in knowing who has her best interests at heart. The gutter scraping gobshites need to stop, no amount of apologizing will ever remediate the bottom scraping you have stooped to for "likes" and "ticks". There are not enough bridges on this planet to give refuge to the gutter sniping trolls out there. Catherine will beat this.
Dog bless her. I wish princess Catherine, her husband prince William, and their children, prince George, princess Charlotte, and prince Louis all the best. Dog bless them all. Cancer is an absolute kunt. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Why did her brother in law and his wife’s message of “health and healing” have to be brought into this? Why add the drama? At the end of the day she is a human being and has been forced to out her illness because of horrendous media pressure. That should be the only message needed.
"asks for privacy" - so let's cannibalise it on BP. This page is more and more becoming the Sun, Bild, NY Post. Disgusting.
As someone who had uterus cancer and a hysterectomy to cure it, I suspected this. Honestly, it's not just the cancer, your feelings run Amock when you lose your uterus, you feel incomplete and even though I was menopausal at the time, you still feel the loss of potential motherhood, I could have had a surrogate ova and sperm for instance, now nothing is possible and at the time that door closing hurt like hell. Too old to care now but at the time it was a huge psychological impact and I feel for her. I can also only surmise it might be cervical or the lymph nodes showed signs of cancerous cells if she has to go through chemotherapy. I didn't have to, the analysis of my cancer was that it was utterly contained by my uterus wall and there was no opportunity and no signs it had spread. I dreaded chemo so much more than the hysterectomy itself, as any cancer sufferers would attest that is by far the worst part of fighting through such a disease. F**k cancer.
Her cancer and type of surgery were not disclosed, nor should it be. Surmising and speculating is an attempt at intruding on her privacy. It's ignorant and voyeuristic.
Load More Replies... I bet some folks are feeling a bit shamed after throwing such a fit about the barely noticeable photoshopped picture. At least, they should be.
Why? In what way did a photoshopped picture relate to her illness (which she is entirely entitled to keep private as it's her business and no one else's)?
Load More Replies... It's MFs like 'The Sun' newspaper that couldn't care less, they will still be stalking her !
@Birgit Sommer....Nobody in the public eye should be forced to disclose any personal and private information. Those persons should be left alone. If THEY choose to disclose it because they WANT to, that's a different story.
That poor woman, having to tell the whole world about her personal medical condition. Hope the media can leave her alone to heal but you know they won't. :( Best wishes for a full recovery, Princess.
She asked for privacy, BP. Doing what every tabloid is currently doing. Not giving her privacy by 'reporting' she wants privacy. Anyone there wake up to that ?
It's sad that she felt compelled to share something so personal. She deserves her privacy. It was hard to watch.
At both mentions of her treatment, and being OK, her eyes drop so sadly. I told my husband she has cancer a month ago, it was obvious. Her facial expressions suggest that she knows it is not just "fine". I'm not even an anglophile, but have gotten to think of her positively over the years of various media stories. I thought she will make a great queen. I'm sad to hear she may never have the chance.
No doubt you mean it kindly but I really don't think it's helpful to Kate or to anyone else who may be living with this to be quite so doom-laden. Not sure how it was 'obvious' to you before they had even heard the diagnosis. Your last sentence sounds like you've written her off. Let's not forget that she's a human being like the rest of us, and she's receiving the best possible care.
Load More Replies... Her name is not Kate Middleton. It hasn't been since she married 13 years ago. This is part of the disrespect shown to her by the media. Call her the wrong name for years, pester about photoshopped photos, bully her into explaining why she's sick. It's a wonder the Royal Family want to ever show themselves in public, if they aren't treated well in private.
...she made a public announcement... to ask for privacy. That south Park episode about them isn't even parody anymore.
She had no choice given that the whole world was speculating about her and coming up with bizarre conspiracy theories. A very different situation from the Ginger Ninja and Me-again who asked for privacy and then sold their story for millions
Load More Replies... As a public figure if would have been better to just come out with if weeks ago instead of letting the insinuators go nuts… She can be an example to so many… I hope she gets better.
Her family comes first, always. And just because she's a Name, doesn't mean 100% of her personal business needs told by her to the world. Public figures or not, every single human being deserves and needs privacy. Her Title and a position doesn't negate her private things and doesn't mean those don't exist any more. She chooses what to share, when to share, how to share and who to share things with. The family keeps as private as possible, anyway. She could have chosen to not tell anyone and no one would have been the wiser, despite speculation.
Load More Replies... She not the monarch though, King Charles is. They said she would be away until after Easter due to medical advice, why couldn't so many comprehend that? People are now trying to defend their vitriol saying they said of something sooner when there was an entire statement released.
Load More Replies... You do know that no matter where you are in the UK, that treatment is free? It should be that way everyone, but the US could give a s**t about its citizens.
Load More Replies...
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