Kate Middleton and Prince William are grateful for the support they’ve received from people around the world after the Princess of Wales announced she had been diagnosed with cancer on Friday.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said in a statement on Saturday that “Both the Prince and Princess have been deeply touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’ message.”
“They are extremely touched by the warmth and support of the public and are grateful for your understanding of their request for privacy at this time,” the spokesperson added.
The Princess of Wales, 42, shared an update on her health in a personal video message, revealing that post-operative tests following abdominal surgery in January “found that cancer was present”. The type of cancer was not detected.
King Charles informed of Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis as he is also undergoing cancer treatment
“In January I had major abdominal surgery in London and at the time my condition was thought to be non-cancerous,” Princess Kate said in the video. “The operation was successful. However, tests after the operation revealed the presence of cancer. My medical team therefore advised me to undergo preventive chemotherapy, and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
Kate called the news a “huge shock” and said she and Prince William, 41, were “doing everything they could to process and resolve this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, it took time. It took it’s time for me to recover from a major operation so I can start treatment.”
Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis: Everything we know so far
She added that “it took time for us to explain everything” to her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, “in a way that was appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I would be fine.”
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“We will not be sharing any private medical information further,” a Kensington Palace spokesman said on Friday. “The princess has a right to medical privacy, as do we all.”
The news of Kate’s cancer comes after the palace announced in January that the Princess of Wales had undergone “planned abdominal surgery” at a London clinic.
Full timeline of Kate Middleton’s abdominal surgery and cancer diagnosis
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Princess of Wales.
Visionhaus/Getty
While the palace did not provide further details about her surgery at the time, they did confirm that she “will remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days, before returning home to continue her recovery”. They added that they will continue to provide updates on Kate’s progress “when there is significant new information to share.”
A palace spokesman said on Friday that Kate began preventive chemotherapy at the end of February.
As for her return to public duties, a spokesperson said: “The Princess will return to official duties when cleared by her medical team. She is in good spirits and is focused on making a full recovery.”
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Source: HIS Education