3/22/2024 Updated 12 hours ago|Source: ČTK, Reuters
British Princess Kate has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy (source: ČT24)
Britain’s Princess Kate has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. She made the announcement Friday in a video released by Kensington Palace. The announcement came after weeks of speculation about her health. She was hospitalized in January for unspecified abdominal surgery and has not been seen in public since.
“The last few months have been incredibly difficult for the whole family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team looking after me and I’m very grateful for that,” Kate said in a video statement, adding that the January surgery was a success. “However, tests after the surgery showed the presence of cancer, so the medical team recommended that I undergo preventive chemotherapy,” she said, adding that she is now at the start of treatment.
“Of course it was a huge shock. “William and I have done everything we can to process this privately and in the interests of our family,” she said. “As you can imagine, it took time. I needed time to recover from a major operation and start treatment. But most of all we needed time to explain everything in a reasonable way to George, Charlotte and Louis and reassure them that I will be fine,” said Kate, pointing to her three young children, who she has with the heir to the throne, Prince William.
“I’m getting stronger every day as I focus on things that will help me heal,” she also added.
In a statement, Kensington Palace said it would not provide any further details about the illness, saying the princess had the right to medical privacy. He only informed that preventive chemotherapy started in February. The palace said shortly after the operation in January that Kate would not return to official duties until after Easter, which falls later this month. But her absence in public life caused intense speculation and wild rumors on social networks.
Buckingham Palace said that King Charles III. and Queen Camilla will continue to offer love and support to the whole family as they go through a difficult time. A palace spokesman said King Charles was proud of Kate for her courage in speaking out and had been “in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law over the past few weeks”.
Words of support were also expressed in a statement by William’s brother, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. “We wish Kate and the family a speedy recovery and hope they can manage in peace and privacy,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said.
Both Prime Minister Sunak and the White House expressed their support
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak immediately responded to Princess Kate’s announcement, saying she should be given privacy so she can focus on her treatment and be with her family. “The Princess of Wales has the love and support of the whole country to continue her recovery,” Sunak said, according to Reuters. According to him, she showed great bravery with her statement.
“In recent weeks, she has been subjected to intense attention and unfair treatment by the media around the world and on social media,” Sunak said. Opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer said he was “encouraged by the optimistic tone” of the princess and her “message of faith and hope”. He noted that any cancer diagnosis is shocking. “But I can only imagine the added stress of receiving this news amid the vile speculation we’ve seen in recent weeks,” he added, adding that William and Catherine “have a right to privacy and like all parents have been waiting for the right moment to tell their children”.
Both the White House wished Princess Kate a full recovery. “We are extremely saddened by this news. She is terrible,” said US President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman Jean-Pierre, who called for “respect for the privacy” of the Princess of Wales and her family. According to her, White House officials learned about the diagnosis along with the whole world when Kate now announced the cancer on video.
Kate has not been seen in public since Christmas. This week, however, in the media discovered the video, which captures Kate and Prince William at a farmer’s market in Windsor over the weekend. Earlier on Mother’s Day, Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate with her three children, apparently in an attempt to quell all sorts of rumours. However, it soon became clear that the photo had been slightly edited, forcing the media to take it down, and the public continued to be confused.
The British King Charles III is also currently being treated for an unspecified cancer. Buckingham Palace announced this in early February, not long after the 75-year-old monarch underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate. He was diagnosed with cancer.
King Karel does not participate in public events due to his treatment, but continues to fulfill some of his duties of a more administrative nature. Photographs of him receiving government officials were also published.