The stunning news comes just over two months after the palace announced Kate had undergone planned abdominal surgery.
Kate Middleton has been diagnosed with cancer. The Princess of Wales made the stunning revelation Friday in an on-camera statement shared by Buckingham Palace.
Kate revealed that, following her abdominal surgery, it had been thought the procedure turned out to be non-cancerous but tests conducted after her surgery showed doctors "found cancer had been present." She added, "My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I'm now in the early stages of that treatment."
Kate, 42, shares three children with Prince William -- Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
"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," she added in her video statement. "As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louie in a way that's appropriate for them and to reassure them that I'm going to be okay. As I said to them, I am well, and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal. In my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort."
The palace nor Kate shared what type of cancer she's battling, only that she's now undergoing chemo treatment. Following the devastating news, a source told ET that Kate filmed the video on March 20, and she started receiving cancer treatment shortly after her surgery in January.
William and Kate struggled to tell their children, the source explained, because they wanted to shield them as much as possible.
"Children process information in different ways. Their primary concern was to be able to explain this to the children in a way that was reassuring, and they could process," the source said.
And despite all erroneous speculation on social media, a source says that William has been at Kate's side and his primary goal in all of this has been to support his wife and his children. A source also tells ET, "Kate was diagnosed with cancer and has been receiving treatment for it. Kate and her family know she has a long road ahead of her, but she's staying positive. At the end of the day, Kate's main concern is her children and she's doing everything she can to maintain what kind of normalcy she can for them as she battles the disease."
The cancer revelation comes more than two months after the palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate had undergone "planned abdominal surgery." That same day, the palace also announced King Charles III would seek treatment for an enlarged prostate. Some two weeks later, Buckingham Palace announced Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.
While Queen Camilla and the palace shared updates on Charles' improving condition, Kate's recovery progress was shrouded in mystery, all of which was compounded by the fact that 70 days had come and gone before Kate would be seen for the first time, albeit not in her official capacity. The palace had previously said Kate was "unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter," which comes on March 31. But her absence triggered rampant speculation regarding her whereabouts, speculation that, unfortunately for all involved, morphed into vast and outlandish conspiracy theories.
Less than two weeks away from Easter, Kate was spotted with Prince William at a farm shop not far from their Windsor home. "Kate was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well," an eyewitness told The Sun.
But the video footage obtained by TMZ showing Kate walking alongside William did very little to bring down the temperature, a notion underscored by Kate's Photoshop fail celebrating Mother's Day in the UK.
After some photo agencies pulled the Mother's Day photo due to claims the image was manipulated, the Princess of Wales spoke out in a statement, tweeting, "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."
The cancer diagnosis revelation comes just days after there was a potential breach of Kate's health records. That there was a possible health records breach could explain why Kate was forced to come out and share her diagnosis. Amid the cancer diagnosis, the potential breach now becomes a far more serious matter.
As previously reported, British police were asked to look into a potential breach of Kate's health records in the wake of the ongoing speculation surrounding the Princess of Wales' condition and whereabouts, a British health minister claimed.
On March 19, the UK tabloid The Mirror reported that The London Clinic, where Kate was treated for her abdominal surgery, launched an investigation over claims staff tried to access her private medical records.
The Information Commissioner's Office, Britain's data watchdog, later released a statement, confirming that they are looking into the matter.
The ICO shared, "We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided."
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