
<p>Kate Middleton is in the early stages of chemotherapy treatment after a cancer diagnosis, the Princess of Wales confirmed in a new video Friday, the first major update provided on the princess’ health since the palace first announced in January she would undergo a surgery and be out of the public eye for months.</p>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-2104753638.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-61494" style="width:730px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-2104753638.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-2104753638-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-2104753638-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>In a two-minute&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1771235267837321694" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">video</a>&nbsp;posted to Kensington Palace social media pages, Kate confirmed she underwent an abdominal surgery earlier this year and that while the surgery “was successful,” tests afterwards confirmed “cancer had been present.”</p>



<p>Kate did not elaborate or explain what type of cancer she has been diagnosed with, but did say she is undergoing “a course of preventive chemotherapy.”</p>



<p>Kate said the palace delayed telling the public about her diagnosis so she and William had time to process the news and talk about it with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.</p>



<p>She completed the video by asking for “time, space and privacy.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“As I have said to them, I am well and getting stronger everyday by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirits,” Kate said in the video. “Having William by my side is a great source of reassurance and comfort and reassurance, too.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The royal family in January announced two major pieces of health information regarding senior royals: King Charles would&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2024/01/17/king-charles-will-undergo-prostate-procedure-palace-says/?sh=4801df184c23">undergo a prostate procedure</a>&nbsp;and Kate Middleton would be admitted to the hospital for a &#8220;planned abdominal surgery.” The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.royal.uk/news-and-activity/2024-01-17/a-statement-from-kensington-palace" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">palace said&nbsp;</a>she would step back from professional engagements for months while she recovered. One week later, it was announced the king&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2024/02/05/king-charles-diagnosed-with-cancer-after-hospital-stay/?sh=62a3f0251757">was diagnosed</a>&nbsp;with cancer. Buckingham Palace did not specify what type or stage of cancer the king has. Kate Middleton&nbsp;<a href="https://people.com/kate-middleton-leaves-hospital-after-surgery-continue-recover-home-8431757#:~:text=Kate%20Middleton%20is%20recovering%20from,William%2C%20and%20their%20three%20children." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">left the hospital</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 29 and returned home to recover, and more than a month went by without any other updates on her health from official sources. As concern for the princess grew, so did unsubstantiated rumors about her health, personal life and marriage to Prince William, who is expected to take the throne upon the death of his father. Several news outlets&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etonline.com/see-kate-middleton-for-the-first-time-since-hospitalization-for-abdominal-surgery-pic-220894" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">circulated</a>&nbsp;blurry photos of Kate riding in a car driven by her mother on March 4, the first time she had been seen since leaving the hospital. Days later, Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate and her three children to celebrate Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom. That same day,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2024/03/11/kate-apologizes-for-causing-confusion-after-news-agencies-flag-her-photo-as-manipulated/">news agencies retracted</a>&nbsp;the image and accused the palace of having manipulated the image so heavily it should no longer be used by outlets, with the global news director of Agence France-Presse&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/03/14/kensington-palace-no-longer-a-trusted-source-after-releasing-edited-kate-middleton-photo-afp-says/?sh=123aafef5238">telling the BBC</a>&nbsp;the palace could no longer be considered a &#8220;trusted source.&#8221; On March 18, tabloids&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/03/18/kate-middleton-seen-new-video-windsor-farm-shop-prince-william/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">published</a>&nbsp;video footage they claim depicted Kate and William on a trip to the Windsor Farm Shop near their home, though Kensington Palace would not comment on the video and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/kate-middleton-video-shopping/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Washington Post said</a>&nbsp;it could not confirm the date or time it was taken.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>One of the more prevalent rumors about Kate Middleton’s whereabouts circulated on a pending divorce between her and Prince William over an affair the prince was baselessly accused of having with Lady Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. The rumors made their way to the &#8220;Late Show&#8221; earlier this month, where host Stephen Colbert speculated on the rumored affair. Habury&#8217;s lawyers then sent notices to the show to deny the claims of an affair,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prince-william-rose-hanbury-rumor-kate-middleton-explained-2024-3" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">multiple sources</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/22/entertainment/rose-hanbury-sends-legal-notice-to-stephen-colbert-over-prince-william-affair-joke-report/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">reported</a>, and said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/rose-hanbury-lawyers-sent-notice-to-stephen-colbert/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">statement to In Touch</a>&nbsp;they were writing &#8220;on our client’s behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organizations to confirm that the allegation is false.” Representatives for CBS did not respond to Forbes’ request for comment Friday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>World leaders responded to the princess’ diagnosis Friday afternoon. Rishi Sunak, prime minister of the United Kingdom,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1771236237153546649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1771236237153546649%7Ctwgr%5Ee148c9579c52a04d40dd7f8338ffc25876483276%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fiframe.nbcnews.com%2FmDv38Wp%3F_showcaption%3Dtrueapp%3D1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">on Friday said</a>&nbsp;Kate has &#8220;shown tremendous bravery with her statement today. In recent weeks she has been subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media&#8230; I know I speak for the country in wishing her a full and speedy recovery.&#8221; Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/albamonica/status/1771238958300639517" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;the White House wishes her a &#8220;full recovery&#8221; and said the Biden administration is “incredibly sad to hear the news.&#8221;</p>


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<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Speaking to Oprah Winfrey on their new Apple TV+ program about mental health, Prince Harry said the royal family met “every single ask, request, warning” for help with harassment he and wife Meghan faced in the press and on social media with “silence or total neglect,” building on revelations from a bombshell interview with Winfrey earlier this year where Meghan revealed she suffered from suicidal thoughts and was refused help from the royal establishment.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<p>Prince Harry&nbsp;<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/05/21/prince-harry-accuses-royal-family-total-neglect-bullying-apple/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;he “felt completely helpless” with the attention he and Meghan were getting in the press and on social media, spending four years “trying to make it work” as members of the royal family,&nbsp;</p>



<p>The revelations, reported on by multiple outlets, were made on his newly released mental health documentary&nbsp;<a href="https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-me-you-cant-see/umc.cmc.4amwght1qtt8ioilwr0mgnf6d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">series</a>&nbsp;with Winfrey titled, “The Me You Can’t See.”</p>



<p>The Prince, sixth in line to the throne,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/21/prince-harry-charles-trauma-diana-death-oprah-meghan-markle-" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;his family did not discuss his mother’s death (he was 12 at the time) and expected he and his brother to just deal with the resulting distress and press attention.</p>



<p>He said his father, Prince Charles, told him that because he suffered when he was younger, that is how it would be for him and brother William.</p>



<p>Prince Harry, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57187138" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">revealed</a>&nbsp;he turned to drink and drugs as an adult in order to cope with the trauma of his mother’s death, said he was told to “play the game” to make his life easier and that he felt “bullied into silence.”</p>



<p>Harry&nbsp;<a href="https://news.sky.com/story/harry-accuses-royal-family-of-total-silence-and-neglect-in-documentary-12312388" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;therapy, which he began four years ago, has been helping him “take on anything.”</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



<p>Prince Harry said the deterioration of he and his wife’s mental health was one of “the biggest reasons” they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/02/19/harry-and-meghan-will-not-return-as-working-members-of-britains-royal-family/?sh=1ff86117658c">stepped away&nbsp;</a>from the royal family and that he felt ashamed he could not go to his family when Meghan was feeling suicidal. He said they were “feeling trapped and feeling controlled through fear, both by the media and by the system itself which never encouraged the talking about this kind of trauma.”</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



<p>Apple TV’s The Me You Can’t See, made up of five episodes, is airing on Friday 21 May. Oprah and Prince Harry are set to&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/scobie/status/1395414173824258053?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">appear</a>&nbsp;on Good Morning America Friday to discuss the series.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



<p>Both Prince William and Prince Harry issued statements&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/20/princes-william-and-harry-slam-deceitful-bbc-interview-with-princess-diana/?sh=3295be8a2fc2">excoriating the press’ treatment</a>&nbsp;of their late mother, Princess Diana, Thursday after an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57189371" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">independent investigation</a>&nbsp;outlined a multitude of moral and professional failings over BBC reporter Martin Bashir’s famous 1995 interview with the royal. Prince Harry said the “ripple effect” from the British media’s “culture of exploitation” led to his mother’s death and, worryingly, has not changed since. “Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed,” he said, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/03/09/meghan-and-harry-mark-final-duty-with-the-queen-before-they-bow-out-as-senior-royals/">stepped away from royal life</a>&nbsp;in part due to the way the British media treated his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/20/princes-william-and-harry-slam-deceitful-bbc-interview-with-princess-diana/?sh=3295be8a2fc2">Princes William And Harry Slam ‘Deceitful’ BBC Interview With Princess Diana</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/21/prince-harry-charles-trauma-diana-death-oprah-meghan-markle-" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prince Harry says trauma of Diana’s death led him to use alcohol and drugs</a>&nbsp;(Guardian)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/02/19/harry-and-meghan-will-not-return-as-working-members-of-britains-royal-family/?sh=1ff86117658c">Harry And Meghan Will Not Return As Working Members Of Britain’s Royal Family</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/03/08/devastating-allegations-british-press-reacts-to-harry-meghan-interview-with-oprah/?sh=6ccc52d057ab">‘Devastating Allegations’: British Press Reacts To Harry-Meghan Interview With Oprah</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Tag: Royal Family

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Kate Middleton Confirms Cancer Diagnosis In New Video

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