Kate Middleton was diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy | British Royal Family

The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has cancer. The announcement was made by Prince William’s wife this Friday on social media, detailing that the oncological disease was discovered during the “scheduled abdominal surgery” she underwent in January. For now, Kate will remain in recovery, without returning to royal duties.

The video published this Friday comes after months of speculation about the health of the Princess of Wales and it is with a thank you that Kate begins the statement shared on social media. “I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all the wonderful messages of support and your understanding while I have been recovering from surgery,” she begins by saying. And she acknowledges: “It was an incredibly difficult two months for our whole family, but I had a fantastic medical team who took great care of me, for which I am very grateful.”

Kate later explained that she underwent “major abdominal surgery” on January 17th, which “at the time” was thought “not to be cancerous”. The surgery was “successful”, but another diagnosis followed. “However, tests carried out after the operation revealed the presence of cancer. Therefore, my medical team advised me to undergo preventive chemotherapy and I am now in the initial phase of that treatment,” she explained.

The princess does not hide that “it was a huge shock”, both for her and for her husband, Prince William. For this reason, they decided to “manage this privately”, for the “good of the family”. It’s a process that “has taken time”, especially because it’s necessary to explain “everything” to the three children — George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 7. “I want to assure them that I’m going to be fine. ”

Without saying what type of cancer or what stage it is at, Kate says she is “getting stronger every day”. “Having William by my side is also a great source of comfort and tranquility. Just like the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. This means a lot to both of us,” she asserts.

Contrary to what was initially announced, the Princess of Wales will not return to work after Easter. “Work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to returning when I am able, but for now I have to focus on making a full recovery,” said Carlos III’s daughter-in-law, who is also undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer. .

And it ends with a message for all cancer patients: “​At this moment, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. To everyone facing this disease, whatever its form, please do not lose faith or hope. They are not alone.”

According to the BBC, the video was recorded this Wednesday by BBC Studios, a British national television producer. “Along with other media outlets, BBC News was informed by Kensington Palace of this afternoon’s announcement,” they said in a statement.

Conspiracy theories

The health of the Princess of Wales has been the biggest mystery on the Internet in recent months. It all started on January 17th, when, without anything to predict it, it was announced that Kate had undergone scheduled abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace, which communicates with William and Kate, did not reveal any further details about the 42-year-old princess’ health status, only clarifying that it was not cancer.

It was immediately announced that Kate would only return to royal duties after Easter, which is celebrated on March 31st. It would therefore be more than two months of recovery. The news immediately generated buzz because it was unclear and contrasted with the transparency assumed by Carlos III, diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of February.

Kate had last been seen in public on December 25, 2023, at the traditional Christmas celebration in Sandringham. And when William unexpectedly canceled an official engagement earlier this month, the mystery deepened, with social media awash with the news. hashtag whereiskate ? (“Where is Kate?”, in Portuguese).

Wild theories began to emerge, from an alleged lover of Prince William, who had caused Kate a nervous breakdown, to divorce, to, in the extreme, talk of Kate’s death. In an attempt to calm the rumors, Kensington Palace decided to share a photo of the future queen with her three children on Mother’s Day, which in the United Kingdom is celebrated three Sundays before Easter.

The portrait, captured by William, had the opposite effect to what was expected. Some details of the image revealed that it had been edited and the main agencies, such as Reuters, decided to take it offline, justifying that they had no explanation for the retouching, some of which were gross, such as the shadow on Princess Charlotte’s sleeve.

Kate gave the explanation a little later — “Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing” — but the damage was already done, and almost everything served to question the veracity of the image: from her blurred right hand to the zipper on your jacket.

The conspiracy on social media heated up even more, until the beginning of this week, when a video of William and Kate was released, with the princess smiling casually, while carrying shopping bags, just over a kilometer from Adelaide Cottage, the of the Princes of Wales in the estate of Windsor Castle.

Initially, the video quieted social media, but not for long, with suspicions being raised that it was not the princess in the images, with some Twitter users suggesting that the royal family replaced her with a lookalike. Kate did not directly address the controversies, only reiterating a new request for privacy. “We hope you understand that as a family we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment.”