“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.
