Kate Middleton Announces Cancer Diagnosis in New Video After Undergoing Abdominal Surgery

Princess Kate Middleton announced her cancer diagnosis to the world in a new video shared to Kensington Palace’s social media accounts on Friday, March 22.

“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. “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful.”

“However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” she added. “This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”

“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment,” the Princess of Wales shared. “But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok. As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”

The headline-making video comes as the royal family weathers a particularly brutal PR storm. The time leading up the the BBC’s announcement was fraught with speculation, and the Union Jack was flying at half mast over a number of governmental buildings.

Kate, 42, caught the public by surprise after the palace informed them in a January 17 statement that she underwent a “planned” abdominal surgery. Fans weren’t given too much detail, but the palace shared that she would be hospitalized for about two weeks post-op.

After she was discharged on January 29, she continued to remain under the radar while in recovery. The mysteriousness about her health led fans to jump to several theories, including cosmetic surgery, a medically induced coma and revitalized personal strife. In fact, a source exclusively told In Touch in March that Kate’s health scare is a “shocking cover up.”

“The truth is she’s very sick. It’s worse than anyone knows,” the insider revealed, noting that her husband, Prince William, was “willing to drop everything to be by her side.”

The Princess of Wales really had people’s heads spinning when Kensington Palace’s official X account shared an edited photo of Kate (wedding ring free) and kids Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. The palace shared the Photoshopped image in celebration of Mother’s Day in the U.K., which was supposed to be the first photo of her after undergoing abdominal surgery.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” ​Kate wrote via the official Kensington Palace X account on March 11. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

Royal watchers were additionally spurred on by the return of affair rumors on William’s part, and Kate’s marital status was also brought into question amid her absence from the public eye.

“Kate taking her wedding ring off [in a recent family photo] just intensified all the drama surrounding their marriage and the rumors of William’s affair with Rose,” a source told In Touch about the Prince of Wales’ rumored affair with Rose Hanbury. “You can’t blame her for being at her wits end with the rumors about Rose and William completely haunting her. It’s hurtful, especially because she’s still recovering from major surgery.”

Since Kate’s operation, she has seemingly been photographed with family members. The princess appeared to be featured in her first post-op video on March 16 as she visited a farm shop in Windsor, but the poor quality of the video, Kate’s apparent wardrobe choice, looks and gaunt, as well as the apparent Christmas decorations in the background seemingly caused more questions than answers.

Kate isn’t the only royal family member whose ​well being had been talked about before the big announcement. Naturally, fans were concerned about King Charles III’s health not only amid his cancer diagnosis and treatment, but especially after Russian outlet TASS news reported that he died. However, Kensington Palace debunked the reports on ​Monday, March 18, and confirmed that Charles, 75, was still alive.

“We are happy to confirm that The King is continuing with official and private business,” the palace stated per the New York Post.

The family patriarch announced he was diagnosed with an unidentified type of cancer and discovered it after undergoing prostate surgery in late January.

“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure,” the palace wrote in a February 5 statement. “He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”