Catherine, Princess of Wales, has said she is receiving treatment for cancer that was discovered after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January.
In a video clip recorded in Windsor on Wednesday, and released on Friday, the senior British royal said it had been “an incredibly tough couple of months” for her family, but insisted she was “well and getting stronger every day”.
She said: “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.”
The Princess of Wales said she was in the early stages of a course of preventative chemotherapy and that she and her family needed “time, space and privacy” while she completes the treatment.
Describing her “huge shock” upon discovering the news, she said that she and her husband William, Prince of Wales, had “been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family”, which had “taken time”.
King Charles III, who is also being treated for cancer, and Queen Camilla have been informed about the state of the princess’s health.
The princess said: “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 [their children] George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.”
In her address, she thanked well-wishers for their support and told others suffering from cancer: “You are not alone.”
Her whereabouts and the state of her health have been the subject of frenzied speculation on social media in recent weeks given her absence from the public eye. Conspiracy theories spread after the Princess of Wales apologised for releasing a Mother’s Day family portrait which she had digitally altered.
The picture, which showed the princess with her three children in a family setting, was the first to be released by Kensington Palace since she underwent surgery. But several international picture agencies withdrew it from circulation citing evidence that it had been manipulated.
The palace had originally announced that Catherine would be stopping all public engagements until after Easter while she recovered.
Addressing questions about the resumption of her royal duties in the video clip, she said she looked forward “to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery”.
Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister, said his “thoughts are with” the princess and her family, adding that she enjoys the “love and support of the whole country” as she continues her recovery.
He commended her “tremendous bravery” for speaking out publicly and said she had been “unfairly treated” by some sections of the media around the world and on social media.