Catherine, Princess of Wales, announces cancer diagnosis

Catherine, Princess of Wales, has announced that she's undergoing treatment for cancer in a prerecorded video released Friday (March 22).

"In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous," Kate, age 42, said in the video. While the initial surgery was successful, "tests after the operation found cancer had been present." 

The princess' medical team then advised that she undergo preventive chemotherapy, which is often used to stop cancer from returning after a surgery to remove the main tumor, for instance, or to reduce the likelihood of developing cancer in the first place. She said she's now in the early stages of that treatment but did not specify the type of cancer detected.

"This of course came as a huge shock," she said. "It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment," and it's also taken the princess and Prince William time to explain the situation to and reassure their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, she added.

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Kate's announcement closely follows that of King Charles III, who disclosed his own cancer diagnosis to the public in February, The New York Times reported. Like the princess, he did not disclose the type of cancer; however, it is known his cancer came to light following a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate. Palace officials have said it's not prostate cancer, though. 

Kate has not attended any official events since Christmas and she's faced a firestorm of speculation about her health after the news of her abdominal surgery in January. In her video message, Kate emphasized that her family will now need "time, space and privacy" while she completes treatment.