LONDON (Reuters) – Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, shared on Friday that she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy. This decision came after tests conducted following a major abdominal surgery in January revealed the presence of cancer.
42-year-old Kate, the wife of Prince William, had spent two weeks in the hospital in January for what was described as successful planned surgery for a non-cancerous condition by her office at the time.
In a video message, Kate disclosed that subsequent tests showed the discovery of cancer. Despite this, she mentioned being well and feeling stronger.
“My medical team recommended that I go through a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am currently in the early stages of that treatment,” Kate mentioned in the video recorded on Wednesday.
“The news came as a big shock to me, and William and I have been trying our best to deal with this privately for the sake of our young family.”
King Charles had previously announced in February that he would also be undergoing treatment for cancer, leading to the postponement of his public royal duties.
Kensington Palace, Kate’s office, declined to provide further details about the specific type of cancer. They did, however, mention that Kate is on a path to recovery and had started preventative chemotherapy in February.
Following her surgery, the palace had stated that Kate would resume official duties only after Easter. Nevertheless, her absence from public life has sparked considerable speculation on social media.
In an effort to maintain privacy regarding the cancer diagnosis, Kate and William chose to wait until their children – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 – began their school holidays, which commenced on Friday.
“It took me some time to recover from major surgery before beginning my treatment. But, most importantly, it took time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that they could understand and to assure them that I will be okay,” Kate stated.
“As I’ve told them; I am doing well and becoming stronger each day by focusing on healing myself in mind, body, and spirit.”
Since the Christmas Day church service where she was last seen in public alongside other royals, Kate has not made any public appearances.
(Reporting by Michael Holden)
