LONDON (AP) – Kate, the princess of waleshas cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, she said Friday in a stunning announcement that followed weeks of speculation about her health and whereabouts.
The princess revealed her condition in a video message recorded Wednesday in Windsor and broadcast Friday. It comes after relentless speculation on social media since January when she was hospitalized for an unspecified Abdominal surgery.
Kate asked for “time, space and privacy” as she undergoes treatment for an unspecified type of cancer, which was discovered after what she described as “major” surgery.
Dressed in a casual striped sweater and jeans, Kate sat on a wooden bench in front of a daffodil-strewn lawn. Flowers that bloom in early spring are often used as a symbol of hope for people battling cancer.
Kate, Princess of Wales, has said she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. Here’s what you need to know.
- Kate was out of sight by the media and led to weeks of speculation and gossip leading to message.
- The news is another shock for the royal family following the announcement last month that King Charles III was treated for an unspecified type of cancer.
- Timeline: In the wake of Kate’s announcement, here’s a look at the latest events that have fueled rumors surrounding the royal family. (link to timeline)
- For more coverage I follow Live updates from AP.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal.”
Kate, 42, had not been seen in public since Christmas until a video emerged this week of her with her husband Prince William, heir to the throne. It showed them leaving a shop that sells produce grown on the royal family’s Windsor estate.
The news is another shock to the royal family following last month’s announcement that King Charles III was treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was discovered during a procedure for a benign enlarged prostate.
Charles said he was “so proud of Catherine for her courage to speak out as she did,” according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace. The king, who is undergoing prostate treatment at the same hospital as Kate underwent surgery, has remained in “closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law” in recent weeks.
The King and Queen Camilla “will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family at this difficult time,” the palace said.
Before Friday, Kensington Palace gave few details about Kate’s condition, other than to say it was not cancer-related, the operation was successful and her recovery would keep the princess away from public duties until April. Kate said her condition was thought to be non-cancerous until post-operative tests revealed the diagnosis.
“This has of course come as a huge shock and William and I have done our best to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she said.
Kate said she took time to recover from the operation before starting “preventative” treatment, which she said was in the early stages.
Dr Shivan Sivakumar, associate professor of oncology at the University of Birmingham, said it was not clear what the princess meant by “preventive” chemotherapy, but he suggested it was what is known as “adjuvant” chemotherapy in the medical field. profession.
“It’s chemotherapy after surgery to prevent recurrence,” he said. “It’s an attempt to kill all circulating cancer cells.”
Kate said it had been an “incredibly difficult few months” for her family. She said it took time to tell her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, in a “way that was right for them” and reassure them that she would be fine.
The announcement came after the start of the Easter break, which will protect children from media coverage of the news.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that Kate “has shown tremendous courage.” He added: “In recent weeks she has come under intense scrutiny and has been treated unfairly by certain parts of the media around the world and on social media.”
Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labor Party, also sent his best wishes to the princess at this “difficult time”.
“We are incredibly saddened to hear the news,” said White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre, who began her briefing with reporters moments after the news of the cancer treatment broke. “We are taking this, this terrible news, as are all of you.”
Charles, 75, has stepped back from public engagements while being treated for cancer, although he is often pictured meeting government officials and dignitaries and has even been seen attending church.
Kate, on the other hand, has been out of sight, instead appearing at charity events and promoting causes such as supporting young children, leading to weeks of speculation and gossip. Attempts to put the 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 doctored.
Kate issued a statement the next day, admitting he likes to “experiment with editing” and apologized for “any confusion” the photo caused. But that quelled the speculation a bit.
Even footage released by The Sun and TMZ that appears to show Kate and William shopping has sparked a new wave of rumours, with some armchair sleuths refusing to believe the video shows Kate at all.
Earlier this week, Britain’s data protection authority said it was investigating a report that staff at the private London hospital where she was being treated tried to access her medical records while she was a patient at Abdominal surgery.
The former Kate Middleton, who married William in a fairytale wedding in 2011, has boosted the British monarchy’s popularity and appeal around the world more than any royal since Princess Diana.
The princess is the eldest of three children, raised in an affluent neighborhood in Berkshire, west of London. The Middletons do not have an aristocratic background, and the British press often referred to Kate as an “ordinary woman” marrying royalty.
Kate attended the private school Marlborough College and then the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she met William around 2001. At first friends and roommates, their relationship became widely publicized when they were photographed 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.