Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Friday revealed Friday she has been diagnosed with cancer and is having chemotherapy.
The princess described her diagnosis as a “huge shock” in a personal statement made via video released on social media. The news comes after she had temporarily stepped away from public life in January following what Kensington Palace said at the time was surgery for a non-cancerous abdominal condition.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” said Catherine, 42, who is married to Prince William.
“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.”
Asking for „time, privacy and space,” she praised Prince William for being by her side as “a great source of comfort and reassurance” as well as the support she has received from the public.
A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024
Kate said she had told her children George, Charlotte and Louis that she is “well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”
Messages immediately began to pour in. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the princess had “the love and support of the whole country.”
He said that Kate had shown “tremendous bravery with her statement” and that his thoughts were with her and “in particular her three children.”
Abdication! The British tabloids’ frenzied coverage of the royals
