Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent a message of support to Kate Middleton just hours after it was revealed that she has cancer.
“We need health and healing for Kate and her family and we hope they can do this privately and in peace,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement on Friday.
Harry and Markle’s statement comes after Middleton, 42, somberly announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer following planned surgery in January.
“I want to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all the great messages of support and understanding as I recover from surgery,” she said in the video message filmed at BBC studios.
The Princess of Wales said it has been an “extremely powerful few months” for her and her family, but she is “so grateful” for the medical team who looked after her.
“In January I had major stomach surgery in London and at the time it was thought my condition was non-cancerous,” she explained. “The surgical procedure was cost-effective. However, tests after the operation found that most of the cancers were present.”
Middleton said her medical groups suggested she “undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy,” which she said she is now in the early stages of.
The mother of three said the prognosis “has come as a huge shock” to her and her husband, Prince William, and they have been doing everything they can to “deal with it and deal with it privately” for the sake of their three. children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Middleton said she and the Prince of Wales, 41, have been assuring the children that she is “going to be fine.”
“As I stated to them; I am doing well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that can help me heal; in my mind, body and spirit,” she continued.
The princess said William has been a “great source of comfort and reassurance” to her, in addition to the “help and kindness” the public has shown her.
Royalty’s unmissable extra protection:
“We hope you understand that as a family we need 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 returning when I’m ready, but for now I have to focus on doing a complete restoration,” she added.
“I am also currently thinking about all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. To everyone dealing with this illness of any kind, please do not lose religion or hope. You are not alone.”
Middleton has been keeping a low profile since being released from the hospital on January 29.
Due to the low-key nature surrounding her surgery and Middleton’s “altered” Mother’s Day photograph, conspiracy theories about the royal’s whereabouts have emerged online.
Middleton’s prognosis is the second time cancer has struck the royal family recently.
In February, Buckingham Palace announced that his father-in-law, King Charles III, had been diagnosed with cancer following his recent surgery for a benign enlarged prostate.
