Kate Middleton announces she has cancer

In a post on social media site X, President Joe Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden “join millions around the world in praying for your full recovery, Princess Kate.”

In photos: A look at Kate, Princess of Wales, through the years

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Britain’s Kate, Duchess of Cambridge watches Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic of Croatia play Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell of Australia in the final of the men’s doubles on day thirteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Saturday, July 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

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FILE - Kate Middleton arrives for her wedding with Britain’s Prince William at Westminster Abbey at the Royal Wedding in London Friday, April 29, 2011. Attention on Princess Kate has reached levels not seen since she married Prince William in a fairy-tale wedding in 2011. An admission from Kate that she altered an official family photo triggered a backlash. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File)

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Britain’s Prince Charles, left, speaks with Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge as they arrive for the World premiere of the new film from the James Bond franchise ‘No Time To Die’, in London on Sept. 28, 2021. (Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, right, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch a fashion show at De Montfort University in Leicester, England, Thursday March 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Oli Scarff, Pool, File)

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Britain’s Duchess of Cambridge, right, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, leave Buckingham Palace in a open horse drawn carriage on their way to the Horse Guards Parade for the Trooping the Colour ceremony to mark the official birthday of the Queen, in London, Saturday, June 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Akira Suemori, File)

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Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge hold the Prince of Cambridge, Tuesday July 23, 2013, as they pose for photographers outside St. Mary’s Hospital exclusive Lindo Wing in London where the Duchess gave birth on Monday July 22. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)

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FILE - In this Saturday, May 2, 2015, file photo, Kate Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William smile as they carry their newborn baby Princess Charlotte from St. Mary’s Hospital in London, following the birth. Attention on Princess Kate has reached levels not seen since she married Prince William in a fairy-tale wedding in 2011. An admission from Kate that she altered an official family photo triggered a backlash. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

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Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge pose for a photo with their newborn baby son as they leave the Lindo wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London London, Monday, April 23, 2018. The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth Monday to a healthy baby boy — a third child for Kate and Prince William and fifth in line to the British throne. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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Britain’s Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge sits on a log with children at the Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden, in London, Tuesday Oct. 2, 2018. (Peter Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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Britain’s Prince William, second left, Kate, Princess of Wales, left, Britain’s Prince Harry, second right, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex view the floral tributes for the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England on Sept. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

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Prince Louis leans on Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant held outside Buckingham Palace, in London, Sunday June 5, 2022, on the last of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. (Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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Kate, Princess of Wales, centre, waves from the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Prince William, right, Princess Charlotte, down left, and Prince Louis, down centre, during the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, in London, Saturday, May 6, 2023. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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Britain’s Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, shelters from the rain as she arrives at Kensington Palace for a reception for parents of users of a Centre for Early Childhood, on the day of the launch of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, in London, Friday, June 18, 2021. (Tolga Akmen/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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▶ See more: A look at Kate, Princess of Wales, through the years

Fatigue, nausea, tingling in the hands and feet, and sometimes hair loss are side effects of chemotherapy, said Dr. Monica Avila of Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. But there are medications for improving these side effects. And cold caps that cool the scalp can prevent hair loss, Avila said.

“A patient can take anywhere from a few weeks to a month or two to recover from those effects,” Avila said. Numbness and tingling can take longer to disappear, she said.

▶ Read more: What we know (and don’t know) about Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

While it’s rare to find cancer after surgery for a noncancerous problem, it does happen in about 4% of such surgeries, said Dr. Yuman Fong, a surgeon at City of Hope cancer center in Southern California.

“That 4% figure represents someone who’s going to the operating room for what is thought to be benign disease” such as a procedure to remove the gallbladder or ovarian cysts, Fong said.

And, yes, if you’re wondering: Cancer is rare in young adults. But in developed countries, rates of some cancers are rising among younger adults. Kate is 42.

▶ Read more: What we know (and don’t know) about Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

Locals and tourists in Kensington Park, near William and Kate’s former London home, said they were shocked to hear about Kate’s diagnosis.

Local resident Surekha Arora said she was “very, very saddened.”

“It’s always so unpleasant with any health-related issues and especially, I would say for a person who is a young mom it’s even worse because there’s so many people who get affected,” she said.

“I do hope they can lean on each other, you know, with the family can take care of one another,” said Andrea Stunz, visiting from Texas. “You know, there’s been dissension among the troops, so to speak, a little bit in the past. So I hope that they can find hope and some togetherness in their family. And we’ll be praying for them. We will be praying for the family.”

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who have been estranged from William and Kate since their move to California in 2020, wished the princess well.

“We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” they said in a statement.

“My thoughts are with the Princess of Wales, her children, and the entire Royal Family following the news of her cancer so courageously shared,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a social media post Friday. “On behalf of Canadians, I’m sending my support as she undergoes treatment. We’re all wishing her a swift recovery.”

“Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too,” Kate’s brother, James Middleton, wrote on Instagram, in a post that’s been liked more than 58,000 times.

It’s been a little over two hours since news first broke that Kate, the Princess of Wales, is undergoing chemotherapy.

Here’s a look at what we know about her diagnosis at this point.

What kind of surgery did Kate have?

Kate had what was described as “abdominal surgery” on Jan. 16. The news wasn’t announced until the next day, when Kensington Palace revealed that Kate was recovering from a planned operation.

At the time, officials said her condition wasn’t cancerous but did not specify what kind of surgery, saying only that it was successful.

When was Kate’s cancer found?

During the video announcement Friday, Kate said: “Tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” and that she was in the early stages of treatment.

She didn’t say what kind of cancer was found, nor did she give details of her chemotherapy. The statement from Kensington Palace said Kate found out about the cancer after post-surgery tests were done.

What kind of treatment is Kate having?

The palace statement said no details would be provided about her cancer or her treatment, other than she started it in late February.

“We will not be sharing any further private medical information. The Princess has a right to medical privacy as we all do,” the statement said.

After successful surgery, chemotherapy is often used to help kill any stray cancer cells and to prevent the cancer from coming back. Treatments have evolved, and when chemo is used now, it’s sometimes for shorter periods or lower doses than it once was.

▶ Read more: What we know about Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

Kate has enjoyed overwhelmingly positive coverage from the press in recent years, but her relationship with journalists hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

Her relationship with Prince William came under intense public scrutiny from the start.

In 2005, Kate’s lawyers asked newspaper editors to leave her alone, saying photographers were invading her private life. That didn’t stop media interest in her relationship with William, or unkind headlines calling her “Waity Katie” when the couple briefly split in 2007.

The couple’s 2011 wedding sparked a level of royal-mania unseen since the nuptials of the then-Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

After the wall-to-wall wedding coverage, the couple retreated to a relatively quiet life away from the limelight in rural Wales for two years while William completed his military service.

But the royals’ tussle with the press again came to the fore in 2012, when William and Kate sued a French magazine for publishing photos of a topless Kate, snapped while the couple was holidaying at a private villa in southern France.

Media pressure on Kate largely eased when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, and the tabloids’ critical eye turned to scrutinize the biracial American actress. The papers often depicted Meghan as the upstart newcomer to the royal institution, a contrast to reliable, staid Kate, now a mother to the future king and a darling of the front pages with her elegant outfits and photogenic smile.

▶ Read more about Kate’s history in the public eye.

Kate said in her video announcement that it had taken her time to recover from the surgery before starting “preventative” treatment, which she said was in the early stages.

Dr. Shivan Sivakumar, associate professor in oncology at the University of Birmingham, said it’s unclear what the princess meant by “preventative” chemotherapy but he presumed that it’s what is known as “adjuvant” chemotherapy in the medical profession.

“This is chemotherapy after an operation to prevent recurrence,” he said. “This is to attempt to destroy any circulating cancer cells.”

King Charles III said he is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,” according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace. He had remained in the “closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law” in the past weeks.

Charles said he is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,” according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace. The king, who received prostate treatment in the same hospital and at the same time Kate had her surgery, remained in the “closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law” in the past weeks.

The king and Queen Camilla “will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time,” the palace said.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.

“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

“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.

“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 Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.

“As I have 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 and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.

“We hope that 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 a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.

“At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.”

▶ Watch the full video of Kate’s announcement.

First came the “royal health shock” headlines when palace officials announced that King Charles III and Kate both had health troubles.

An absence of information about Kate’s health and whereabouts then fueled an increasingly frenzied rumor mill that made its way from the fringes of social media to front pages around the world.

But distrust of the monarchy only intensified after Kate admitted that she edited an official family photo, and palace officials have struggled to regain control of the narrative as conjecture and conspiracy theories persist.

▶ See the full timeline of rumor-sparking events.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that Kate “has shown tremendous bravery.” He added: “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.”

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, also sent his best wishes to the princess at this “distressing time.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre opened her briefing with reporters moments after news of Kate undergoing cancer treatment broke. “We just heard the terrible news,” Jean-Pierre said.

She called for respecting the princess’ privacy.

Jean-Pierre said she didn’t have anything to share on conversations between President Joe Biden and the royal family, and suggested that she found out about the new the same way the rest of the public did.

“We are incredibly sad to hear of the news,” Jean-Pierre said. “We are taking this in, this terrible news, as all of you are.”

Kate has been out of view since Christmas, leading to weeks of speculation and gossip.

Attempts to put rumors to bed by releasing a photo of her on Mother’s Day in the U.K. surrounded by her three smiling children backfired when The Associated Press and other news agencies retracted the image because it had been manipulated.

Kate issued a statement the next day acknowledging she liked to “experiment with editing” and apologizing for “any confusion” the photo had caused. But that did little to quell the speculation.

Even the footage published by The Sun and TMZ that appeared to show Kate and William shopping sparked a new flurry of rumor-mongering, with some armchair sleuths refusing to believe the video showed Kate at all.

Kate, 42, hadn’t been seen publicly since Christmas until video surfaced this week of her with her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne, walking from a farm shop near their Windsor home.

Kensington Palace had given little detail about Kate’s condition beyond saying it wasn’t cancer-related, the surgery was successful and recuperation would keep the princess away from public duties until April.

The news is another shock for the royal family since the announcement last month that King Charles III was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer that was caught while undergoing a procedure for a benign enlarged prostate.