Princess Kate announces that she has cancer and has started “preventative chemotherapy”

“I’m fine,” assures Prince William’s wife, in a message broadcast by the British royal family, after weeks of speculation about his disappearance from public life.

Princess Kate, wife of William, the heir to the British throne, announced Friday March 22 in a video that she was suffering from cancer and that she had started a “preventive chemotherapy”.

“In January, I underwent a major abdominal operation in London. At the time, it was thought that my condition was not cancerous”explained the 42-year-old princess in a video, where she appeared looking distressed. “However, tests carried out after the operation revealed that cancer had been present”she continued, speaking of a “huge shock”. She did not specify the nature of this cancer.

“My medical team therefore advised me to undergo preventive chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of this treatment”, added the Princess of Wales. However, she assured that she would “GOOD”.

Weeks of speculation

The princess’s state of health had been a concern for more than two months. On January 17, Kensington Palace revealed that Kate had undergone a major abdominal operation the day before in a London clinic. The palace then warned that she would not return to her public functions before Easter. Without providing any further details, the institution informed British royal correspondents that it was not cancer.

The princess’s long convalescence and the absence of information have fueled rumors and wild speculation for weeks, reinforced by the publication by Kensington Palace of a photo of Kate and her children which turned out to be retouched.

New images of Kate Middleton were published on Monday, notably by the English tabloid The Sun and the American site TMZ, showing the Princess of Wales at a market in Windsor, west London, with her husband, Prince William. The video message broadcast Friday evening was filmed on Wednesday, specifies the BBC, which collaborated in the recording.

This announcement represents a new blow for the British royal family. On February 6, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III, aged 75 and who acceded to the throne in September 2022, was diagnosed with cancer.

The latter said to himself “proud of courage” of Princess Kate, in a message sent by Buckingham Palace on Friday evening. “I know I speak for the whole country in wishing him a full and speedy recovery”reacted the head of the British government, Rishi Sunak, in a press release.