LONDON (AP) 鈥 Kate, the Princess of Wales, has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, she revealed Friday in a stunning announcement that followed weeks of speculation about her health and whereabouts.
The princess disclosed in a video message recorded Wednesday in Windsor and broadcast Friday. It came after relentless speculation on social media ever since January, when she was hospitalized for unspecified .
Kate asked for 鈥渢ime, space and privacy鈥 while she is treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered after what she described as 鈥渕ajor鈥 surgery.
Wearing a casual striped sweater and jeans, Kate sat on a wooden bench in front of a lawn dotted with daffodils. The flowers, which bloom in early spring, are often used as a symbol of hope for people fighting cancer.
鈥淚 am well," she said. "I am getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal.鈥
Kate, 42, hadn鈥檛 been seen publicly since Christmas until of her with her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne. It showed them walking from a shop that sells produce grown on the royal family's Windsor estate.
The news is another jolt for the royal family since the announcement last month that was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered while undergoing a procedure for a benign enlarged prostate.
Charles said he is 鈥渟o proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,鈥 according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace. The king, who received prostate treatment in the same hospital and at the same time Kate had her surgery, remained in the 鈥渃losest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law" in the past weeks.
The king and Queen Camilla 鈥渨ill continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time," the palace said.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who have been estranged from William and Kate since their move to California in 2020, wished the princess well.
鈥淲e wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace," they said in a statement.
Before Friday, Kensington Palace had given little detail about Kate鈥檚 condition beyond saying it wasn鈥檛 cancer-related, the surgery was successful and recuperation would keep the princess away from public duties until April. Kate said it had been thought that her condition was non-cancerous until post-surgery tests revealed the diagnosis.
鈥淭his 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.
By choosing to speak directly to the country and the world about her condition, rather than issuing a statement through the palace, Kate offered a level of intimacy and transparency atypical of a member of the royal family and may help tamp down runaway conjecture. The king鈥檚 disclosure of his condition was also notably open by royal standards.
Kate said it had taken her time to recover from the surgery before starting 鈥減reventative鈥 treatment, which she said was in the early stages.
Dr. Shivan Sivakumar, associate professor in oncology at the University of Birmingham, said it鈥檚 unclear what the princess meant by 鈥減reventative鈥 chemotherapy but he presumed that it鈥檚 what is known as 鈥渁djuvant鈥 chemotherapy in the medical profession.
鈥淭his is chemotherapy after an operation to prevent recurrence,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is to attempt to destroy any circulating cancer cells.鈥
Kate said it has been 鈥渁n incredibly tough couple of months鈥 for her family. She said it had taken time to tell her three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in a way 鈥渁ppropriate for them鈥 and reassure them she will be OK.
The announcement came after the start of the Easter holidays, which will shield the children from media coverage of the news.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that Kate 鈥渉as shown tremendous bravery.鈥濃
鈥淲e are incredibly sad to hear of the news,鈥 said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who opened her briefing with reporters moments after news of cancer treatment broke. 鈥淲e are taking this in, this terrible news, as all of you are.鈥
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 instead of appearing at charity events and promoting causes such as supporting children early in life, leading to weeks of . Attempts to put rumors to bed by releasing a photo of her on Mother's Day in the U.K. surrounded by her three smiling children backfired when The Associated Press and other news agencies retracted the image because it had been manipulated.
Kate the next day acknowledging she liked to 鈥渆xperiment with editing鈥 and apologizing for 鈥渁ny confusion鈥 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
The former Kate Middleton, who married William in a fairy-tale wedding in 2011, has boosted the popularity and appeal of the British monarchy worldwide more than any royal since Princess Diana.
The princess is the oldest of three children brought up in a well-to-do neighborhood in Berkshire, west of London. The Middletons have no aristocratic background, and the British press often referred to Kate as a 鈥渃ommoner鈥 marrying into royalty.
Her brother James Middleton posted on Instagram: 鈥淥ver the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too.鈥
Kate attended the private school Marlborough College and then University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she met William around 2001. Friends and housemates at first, their relationship became widely publicized when they were pictured together on a skiing holiday in Switzerland in 2004.
Kate graduated in 2005 with a degree in art history and a budding relationship with the prince.
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Pan Pylas in London and Chris Megerian in Washington, contributed to this report.
