Cancer diagnosis

Princess Kate’s emotional statement in full

This video has sent shockwaves around the world: British Princess Kate talks about her cancer diagnosis, which she received after her serious abdominal surgery, in a video released on March 22, 2024 and recorded by the BBC. You can read the 42-year-old's statement in full here:

'I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you personally for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding while I've been recovering from surgery. It has been an incredibly tough few months for our whole family, but I had a fantastic medical team who took excellent care of me, for which I am very grateful.

In January, I had to undergo extensive abdominal surgery in London. At the time, it was not thought to be cancer, but the operation itself was successful. The operation itself was successful, but follow-up tests revealed that cancer cells were present , so my medical team recommended preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of this treatment.

This news was of course a huge shock, and William and I have done everything we can to process and cope with this privately, for the sake of our young family.

As you can imagine, this took time. I had to recover from the serious operation to be able to start treatment. However, the most important thing for us was to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way they could understand and to reassure them that I would be fine.

I told them: I'm fine and I'm getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that help me heal - mentally, physically and emotionally.

Having William by my side is a great comfort and a source of confidence. Equally meaningful is the love, support and kindness shown to me by so many of you. This means an incredible amount to both of us.

We hope you will understand that as a family we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment . My work has always brought me great joy and I look forward to returning as soon as I am able. But now I need to focus fully on my recovery.

During this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. To all those who are facing this disease in whatever form: Please don't lose faith or hope. You are not alone.