Catherine, the Princess of Wales, has confirmed she has undergone treatment for cancer in a health update.
In an emotional video, the princess, who is married to the British heir to the throne Prince William, said that while her condition was originally thought to be non-cancerous, following abdominal surgery cancer was found in her system and she is now in the “early stages” of preventative chemotherapy. She did not confirm the type of cancer.
“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful,” she said in the video.
Kate’s father-in-law, King Charles III, is also currently undergoing cancer treatment after he was diagnosed earlier this year.
Rumors have been swirling about Kate’s absence since January, when it was announced that Kate had been admitted to the hospital for a “planned abdominal surgery.” Palace officials declined to disclose the reason for the surgery, but said Middleton would be staying in the hospital for two weeks and was unlikely to return to her public duties until after Easter.
In her video update Kate did not confirm when she would return to public duties although Easter is now looking increasingly unlikely. “My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery,” she said.
On the same day as Kate’s surgery was revealed, it was separately announced that King Charles was undergoing a medical exam for an “enlarged prostate.” Just a few weeks later, Buckingham Palace revealed that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.
As March began, the public started to grow curious as to Middleton’s whereabouts. Though the first paparazzi photo of her post-op was leaked on March 4, it was grainy and did little to quash conspiracies. Then, on March 10 — Mother’s Day in the U.K. — a photo was posted to Middleton and Prince William’s official social media accounts of Middleton with their three children. Internet sleuths were quick to point out that the photo appeared to be doctored — and sure enough, four of the world’s biggest news agencies eventually issued kill notices for the photo citing “digital manipulation.”
The next day, Middleton issued an apology for the photo controversy, admitting that “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” However, this did little to convince the public that all was well, and theories on Middleton’s whereabouts have continued to rage ever since.
