Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she has cancer

Kate Middleton, princess of Wales, says she has been diagnosed with cancer.

The princess made the disclosure on Friday in a video statement.

Kate did not say the kind of cancer she was diagnosed with but said it was detected after she underwent “major” abdominal surgery.

She said, at the time, her condition was thought non-cancerous. However, the cancer was discovered in post-operative tests.

“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,” the 42-year-old said.

“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.”

Kate’s last public appearance was on Christmas Day in 2023.

In January, Kensington Palace said the princess was admitted to the hospital.

Online speculation about Kate’s well-being reached a fever pitch in late February when William had to drop out of a royal engagement due to what the palace said was a “personal matter”.

Marking Mother’s Day on March 10, the princess shared a photo of herself smiling and surrounded by her three kids.

That was the first official photo of Kate the public had seen since December.

However, analysis by several foreign news agencies showed that the picture “may have been edited by the royals prior to its release”.

Kate acknowledged in a public apology that the photo was edited and apologised for any “confusion” the alterations had caused.

The development raised eyebrows among British media which said Kensington Palace could no longer be trusted.

The princess’ announcement comes as King Charles, her father-in-law, also undergoes treatment for an undisclosed kind of cancer.