Kate Middleton reveals she has cancer

The Princess of Wales has revealed she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy in a video released by the royal family.

Transcript

00:00 I want to take this opportunity to say thank you personally for all the

00:04 wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I've been

00:08 recovering from surgery. It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for

00:14 our entire family but I've had a fantastic medical team who have taken

00:18 great care of me for which I'm so grateful. In January I underwent major

00:23 abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition

00:28 was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful however tests after the

00:33 operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I

00:39 should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I'm now in the early

00:43 stages of that treatment. This of course came as a huge shock and William and I

00:50 have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for

00:55 the sake of our young family. As you can imagine this has taken time. It has taken

01:01 me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment but most

01:06 importantly it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte

01:10 and Louis in a way that's appropriate for them and to reassure them that I'm

01:14 going to be okay. As I've said to them I am well and getting stronger every day

01:20 by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirits.

01:25 Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too as

01:30 is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It

01:35 means so much to us both. We hope that you'll understand that as a family we

01:42 now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work

01:49 has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back

01:53 when I'm able but for now I must focus on making a full recovery. At this time

02:00 I'm also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For

02:06 everyone facing this disease in whatever form please do not lose faith or hope.

02:11 You are not alone.

02:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]