Princess Kate Middleton Announces Cancer Diagnosis After Weeks Out Of Public Eye

Kate Middleton (aka Catherine, Princess of Wales) announced Friday in a video that she's been diagnosed with cancer.

The confirmation comes after weeks of speculation from tabloids and fans. Middleton said in the video that the diagnosis was a "huge shock" to her and her family. 

Speculation from U.K. outlets and fans of the royal family started in December when Middleton essentially disappeared from the public eye. Then, weeks later in January, Kensington Palace announced that Middleton had been recovering from a planned abdominal surgery.

“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,” Middleton 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.”

The Palace also announced that Middleton was not scheduled to make any public appearances until Easter, which is on March 31 this year, according to NPR.

Speculation and conspiracy theories increased when Middleton posted a Mother's Day photo of her and her children that featured tell-tale signs that the picture had been doctored with AI, like inconsistencies in the children's hands and more.

The family also recently announced that King Charles, 75, had been diagnosed with cancer during a routine operation on his prostate. 

Middleton did not disclose the exact type of cancer she has but did say that she has undergone chemotherapy to treat it. CBS broke coverage of the NCAA Men's March Madness basketball tournament to notify viewers about the diagnosis. 

Middleton said that the cancer was discovered during her planned surgery in January.

Now Read: Where Is Kate Middleton? Prolonged Absence Sparks Concerns As Palace Shares Updates On Her Recovery

Image: Shutterstock