Open in full screen mode Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, attends the Anzac Day service of remembrance and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, in London, April 25, 2019. Reuters The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, ended weeks of silence on Friday by announcing that she was suffering from cancer for which she has been undergoing “preventive” chemotherapy since February. The disease was diagnosed last January after the princess, who is 42, underwent abdominal surgery in London. She had been hospitalized for two weeks and had since undergone a discreet convalescence which has fueled many rumors. My medical team recommended that I follow a preventative chemotherapy program and I am now in the early stages of treatment, Kate Middleton says in the video, which was produced on Wednesday but released on Friday. 
Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, announces that she is receiving preventive chemotherapy treatment for cancer, March 22, 2024 in London, England England.
It was of course a huge shock, and William and I are doing everything we can to manage this in our private circle, for the sake of our young family, she adds.
Prince William and Princess Kate also published the video, in English, on the social network X.
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Kensington Palace said chemotherapy began in February, but did not specify the nature of the cancer being treated. /p>Loading
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Kate says she waited to make this information public until the start of British school holidays, which began this Friday, in order to preserve his three children – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Prince William and his wife Catherine accompany their children, George, Louis and Charlotte, for the start of the school year, September 7, 2022, at Bracknell, England.
Following Friday's announcement, King Charles III reacted immediately. Her Majesty is very proud of Catherine for the courage she showed in speaking as she did, said a palace spokesperson, adding that the sovereign had remained in close contact with her daughter-in-law well. -loved throughout these last few weeks.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, wished Princess Kate a full and speedy recovery in a statement.
De For its part, the White House says it is thinking of Kate Middleton, and wishes her a full recovery.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said Friday that Princess Kate will return to official duties as soon as her medical team allows her to do so. She is in good spirits and working towards a full recovery, the spokesperson added.
Kate is the third person in the family royal to announce that she has been suffering from cancer since the beginning of the year. Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, said in January that she had malignant melanoma, a serious skin cancer.
Additionally, last month it was announced that King Charles III was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer discovered while he was undergoing surgery for benign prostate enlargement.
King Charles III was recently hospitalized for a prostate problem, but the cancer discovered is not believed to be linked to this health problem.
Charles, aged The 75-year-old has stepped away from public office while undergoing treatment for cancer, although he has frequently appeared in photos during meetings with government officials and dignitaries – and he was even seen going to church.
Kate, on the other hand, was out of sight, leading to weeks of rumors and gossip. Attempts to put an end to the rumors by posting 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 removed the image because it was manipulated.
The Princess of Wales has admitted to altering an official portrait of her released by the palace, prompting news agencies to remove the altered image.
Kate released a statement the next day, acknowledging that she enjoyed experimenting with the retouch feature and apologizing for any confusion caused by the photo. But that did little to quell speculation.
Even the images published by The Sunand TMZ that appeared to show Kate and William shopping sparked a new wave of rumors, with some Sunday Sleuths refusing to believe the video actually showed the princess.
Earlier this week, a British privacy watchdog said it was investigating a report that staff at the private London hospital where she was being treated had tried to snoop on her medical records while she was a patient for abdominal surgery.
Kate Middleton, who married Prince William during a fairytale wedding in 2011, boosted the popularity and appeal of the British monarchy around the world more than any member of the royal family since Princess Diana.
With information from Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press