Kate Middleton Reveals She Has Cancer, Will Undergo Chemotherapy

After months of speculation, Princess Catherine of Wales — otherwise known as Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William, the heir to the British throne — has revealed that she has cancer.

In a new video posted on X-formerly-Twitter, Middleton addressed the camera directly even as she glossed over rumors about her seeming disappearance from the public eye in 2024.

The 42-year-old princess said in her video address that her cancer diagnosis, the details of which she did not specify, came as a "huge shock" following a planned abdominal surgery in January. Now, as Middleton said in her video address, she's preparing to undergo chemotherapy. She didn't specify what type of cancer.

"Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too," Middleton, who shares children George, Charlotte, and Louis with the princes, said in the video. "As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both."

While there certainly has been an outpouring of affection for the upper-crust princess, the rumor mill has churned incessantly in the two months she disappeared from view following her surgery.

Those rumors were not aided when the Kensington Palace's account published a bizarre and visibly doctored photo of the princess and her three children with William. Ultimately, the Agence France-Press issued a rare "kill order" on the photo and announced that it would no longer considering the Kensington Palace, which is second only to Buckingham in the British royal system, as a "trusted source."

News of Middleton's health trouble also comes on the heels of King Charles' cancer diagnosis in February, which spurred its own rumors and Russian disinformation campaigns claiming he'd died.

"As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment," Middleton said in the video, in what was perhaps a slight nod to her absence in public life over the past few months. "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."

More on cancer: Doctors Alarmed by Young People Getting Cancer at Unprecedented Rates