Princess Catherine of Wales has cancer.
Kate Middleton revealed her diagnosis after weeks of speculation and rumors about her absence from public appearances.
“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I've had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful,” Middleton said in a video statement on March 22. "In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.”
Middleton revealed that she was advised to undergo “preventative chemotherapy.”
“I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” she said. “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.”
Middleton and her husband Prince William share three children, George, Charlotte and Louis. The princess said it has taken time to explain her condition to their children in a way “that is appropriate for them” and to reassure them that she will “be OK.”
“As I have said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal, in my mind, body and spirits,” she continued. "Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.”
The British royal couple has asked for privacy as she undergoes treatment and focuses on making a full recovery.
Kensington Palace announced in January that the princess underwent a planned abdominal surgery on Jan. 16 and that she would be unlikely to return to her public duties until after Easter which is March 31. Her husband canceled his public engagements while she spent two weeks in the hospital and reduced his engagements during her recovery.
“The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible,” the palace said in a statement.
Speculation about Middleton and her whereabouts engulfed social media and international celebrity publications in the weeks following her release from the hospital. After concerns about digital discrepancies in a photo release of Middleton and her children in honor of Mother’s Day, the princess released a statement saying she had edited the image.
A theory that the palace had hired a body double to appear as Middleton sprung up online. Talk show host John Oliver said in an interview with Andy Cohen that there was a “non-zero” chance Middleton had died 18 months earlier. There was also speculation that Middleton was planning to divorce Prince William because he was allegedly having an affair.
Multiple members of the British Royal family have been diagnosed with cancer in the last year.
King Charles announced in February that he has prostate cancer. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and ex-wife of Prince Andrew, announced in late January that he had been diagnosed with a form of skin cancer. Just weeks earlier, Ferguson had said she had beaten breast cancer.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised Middleton after news of her condition was made public.
“She has shown tremendous bravery with her statement today,” he wrote in a statement. “In recent weeks she has been subject to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media. 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.”
