Britain’s Princess Kate announced on Friday that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently receiving preventive chemotherapy. The news comes after weeks of speculation about the Princess’s health and absence from public appearances.

In a video message posted by Kensington Palace, the princess confessed that the news was “a great shock,” and that she and her husband, Prince William, have been “doing everything we can to process and manage this privately, for the sake of our young family.”

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at that time it was thought that my illness was not cancer. The operation was successful. However, subsequent tests revealed that there was cancer. My medical team advised me to undergo preventive chemotherapy treatment and I am now in the early stages,” Middleton revealed.

“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, more importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis properly, and assure them that I will be okay,” said the princess, referring to her three children.

“We hope you understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy as I complete my treatment. My duties have always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to returning when I can, but for now I must focus on fully recovering,” she concluded, without revealing what type of cancer she has.

The princess’s disappearance

The Princess of Wales’ last public appearance was on December 25, when she participated in the annual walk to Sandringham Church for the Christmas morning service, alongside King Charles III, as well as her husband, Prince William, and their three children. Subsequently, on January 17, Kensington Palace announced that Kate had undergone abdominal surgery.

After this, the first photos of the princess appeared on March 4. The ‘paparazzi’ captured her sitting in the passenger seat of a car driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, and she was wearing sunglasses. According to reports, the image was taken near Windsor Castle, where Kate is recovering.

Meanwhile, the first official photo after the surgery was released on March 10. In the image, Kate appears with her children on Mother’s Day. However, the image caused a stir on social media, as users noticed that it had been retouched with Photoshop. In this context, several photo agencies withdrew the snapshot due to editorial manipulations.

The princess later announced that she herself had edited the photo. However, suspicions arose that the Princess of Wales had retouched a photo of herself published several years ago on the cover of Vogue, in an attempt to debunk rumors about her health. Subsequently, Middleton and her husband were seen at a local farm over the past weekend in Windsor, England, but some internet users claimed they were doubles or that the video could have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI).