Catherine, the Princess of Wales, said on Friday, March 22, that she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.
Her condition was disclosed in a video message recorded on Wednesday and broadcast Friday, coming after weeks of speculation on social media about her whereabouts and health since she was hospitalized in January for unspecified abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace had previously given little detail about her condition beyond saying it wasn’t cancer-related, the surgery was successful and recovery would keep the princess away from public duties until April.
A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024
The princess, who is more commonly known as "Kate," said it had been thought that her condition was non-cancerous until tests revealed the diagnosis. "This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family," she said.
Kate asked for "time, space and privacy" while she is treated for an unspecified type of cancer. "I am well," she said. "I am well," she said, adding: "I am getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal."
Kate, 42, hadn’t been seen publicly since Christmas until video surfaced this week of her with her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne, walking from a farm shop near their Windsor home.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his "thoughts" were with the princess, her husband William, who is heir to the throne, and their three children "at this difficult time." "The Princess of Wales has the love and support of the whole country as she continues her recovery," the Conservative leader said in a statement, adding that "she has shown tremendous bravery with her statement today."
He also said that Kate had been "subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media" since her operation. "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," he added. "I know I speak for the whole country in wishing her a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back in action when she's ready," he concluded.
Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, also sent his best wishes to the princess at this "distressing time."
The White House wished Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, well shortly after the announcement: "All of us just heard the terrible news. Our thoughts are with the Duchess of Cambridge and her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. "Certainly we wish her a full recovery. And I think it's important that we respect their privacy, especially at the time," she added.
The news is another stunning development for the royal family since the announcement last month that King Charles III was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was caught while undergoing a procedure for a benign enlarged prostate.
Charles, 75, has withdrawn from public duties while he has cancer treatment, though he's appeared frequently in photos carrying on meetings with government officials and dignitaries and was even seen going to church.
Kate, on the other hand, had been out of view, leading to weeks of speculation and gossip. Attempts to put rumors to bed by releasing a photo of her on Mother's Day in the UK surrounded by her three smiling children backfired when The Associated Press and other news agencies retracted the image because it had been manipulated.
Kate issued a statement the next day acknowledging she liked to "experiment with editing" and apologizing for "any confusion" the photo had caused. But that did little to quell the speculation. Even the footage published by The Sun and TMZ that appeared to show Kate and William shopping sparked a new flurry of rumor-mongering, with some armchair sleuths refusing to believe the video showed Kate at all.
Earlier this week, a British privacy watchdog said it was investigating a report that staff at the private London hospital where she was treated tried to snoop on her medical records while she was a patient for abdominal surgery.