Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun chemotherapy, she announced Friday in a video message through which she described the past two months as “extremely difficult for our entire family.”
Her diagnosis is according to that of King Charles III, who announced his own cancer diagnosis and treatment in early February. The ruling got here after a period of great uncertainty concerning the health of Catherine, who underwent abdominal surgery in January and largely disappeared from public view as she attempted to recuperate.
Like the king, Catherine, 42, didn’t specify what type of cancer she was affected by, but asked the general public and media to respect her desire for privacy.
“We hope you will understand that as a family we now need some time, space and privacy before I complete my treatment,” said Catherine, who’s the wife of Prince William and the longer term queen.
“It was obviously a huge shock,” Catherine said, “and William and I have been doing everything we could to process and manage this matter privately for the good of our young family. As you can imagine, this took some time.
Catherine’s announcement is a grim coda to a period of increasingly wild rumors about her health and well-being. But it plunges the British royal family into a period of even greater uncertainty, with both the 75-year-old monarch and his daughter-in-law, wife of his eldest son and heir to the throne, and mother of second-in-line Prince George. in line to the throne, struggling with serious health problems.
In her statement, Catherine stated that at the time the surgery was performed, doctors believed her condition was not cancerous. She added that the surgery was successful, but further tests revealed the presence of cancer. They recommended chemotherapy, which she said she had recently started.
“It took me a while to recover from major surgery and start treatment,” Catherine said within the video. “But most importantly, it took us some time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that felt right to them and reassure them that everything would be fine.”
Catherine’s statement was eerily reminiscent of Charles’s. Buckingham Palace announced that the king’s cancer was detected after prostate enlargement surgery. The palace said he didn’t have prostate cancer, but didn’t specify what type of cancer it was or what its prognosis was.
Until Catherine’s video on Friday, Kensington Palace, where William and Catherine have their offices, had shared even fewer details about her condition, creating an information vacuum that led to a number of rumors and conspiracy theories on social media.
In the video, which Kensington Palace said was filmed by the BBC in Windsor on Wednesday, Catherine sits on a bench outside with daffodils and flowering trees behind her.
With her hands folded in her lap, she begins by thanking the audience for his or her expressions of support and understanding as she recovered from surgery before announcing her diagnosis.
“In January I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at that time it was thought that my condition was not cancerous. The operation was successful,” she added. “However, post-surgery tests revealed the presence of cancer. Therefore, my medical team advised me to undergo preventive chemotherapy, and I am currently in the early stages of this treatment.”
In a statement, Catherine highlighted the importance of her three children and their well-being as a key factor in the timing of the announcement. “As I told them,” she said, “I feel good and I’m getting stronger every day, focusing on things that will help me get better; in my mind, body and spirit. Having William by my side is also a great source of comfort and reassurance.”
The children’s school was closed for the Easter holidays. A Kensington Palace official said Catherine and William wanted to share the news when they felt it was appropriate for them as a family.
Catherine concluded her video statement with a message for others affected by a cancer diagnosis. “At this moment, I am also thinking about all those whose lives have been touched by cancer,” she said. “I am asking everyone who is struggling with this disease, regardless of its form, not to lose faith and hope. You are not alone.”
