Caroline Taix – Agence France-Presse in London
6:49 p.m.
- Europe
New blow for the British monarchy: Princess Kate, very popular wife of the heir to the throne, announced on Friday that she was suffering from cancer, without specifying its nature, and had started chemotherapy, citing a “huge shock “.
The bad news is piling up for the royal family, for whom the Princess of Wales represents a major asset. On February 5, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III, aged 75 and who acceded to the throne in September 2022, had himself been diagnosed with cancer.
Kate, whose absence has sparked the wildest rumors in recent weeks, spoke, looking exhausted and tired, in a video filmed on Wednesday and broadcast on Friday.
A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London. At the time, it was judged that I did not suffer from cancer,” explained the 42-year-old princess.
“However, tests after the operation revealed the presence of cancer,” she continued, calling it a “huge shock”.
His medical team advised him to follow “preventive chemotherapy”. “I'm in the early stages of this treatment now,” Kate said.
“It took us a while to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis,” her three children with Prince William, she said. “Like I told them, I’m fine. I gain strength every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal. »
The Princess of Wales, who is adored by the British, said she hoped the public would understand that her family “needs time and respect for our space and our private lives” during treatment.
Charles III said Friday evening that he was “proud of Kate’s courage” for revealing her illness.
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Rumors
“I’m just completely shocked, it’s crazy,” says Hannah Dickerson, an American tourist interviewed by AFP in front of Buckingham Palace. “With King Charles just being diagnosed with cancer and then all the rumors and speculation about Kate… Now we know what happened.”
Because the princess's state of health had been a concern for more than two months.
On January 17, Kensington Palace announced that Kate had undergone a major abdominal operation the day before in a London clinic. The palace then warned that she would not return to public office before Easter.
He gave no further details, but passed the information on to British royal correspondents that it was not cancer.
The long convalescence of the princess, usually one of the most photographed women on the planet, and the absence of information have fueled rumors and wild speculation for weeks, which the palace has not managed to stop.
On March 10, for British Mother's Day, Kensington released an official photo of Kate smiling surrounded by her three children, the first since Christmas. But after the photo was removed by major international agencies, including AFP, Kate admitted that it had been photoshopped, which further fueled speculation.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday wished the princess a “full and speedy” recovery, while the White House said it was “extremely sad” at the news of her illness.
Popular
The Princess of Wales is one of the most popular figures in the royal family, with her image perfect and glamorous.
Kate, William and their three children, George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5, live in a private property in Windsor, west London .
They were married in 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Smiling and elegant, she has established herself over the years as an essential figure in the British royal family. The British press sees her as a model member of the monarchy.
Nothing predestined Kate Middleton, a commoner, to this royal life. His mother, a flight attendant, and his father, an air traffic controller, then made their fortune by starting a party supplies company.
Her meeting with William at the Scottish University of St Andrews, which she joined in 2001 to study art history, decided otherwise.
Kate is the third person in the royal family to announce that they have cancer since the start of the year. Before Charles, Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, said in January that she had malignant melanoma, a serious skin cancer.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said Friday that Princess Kate will return to official duties “as soon as her medical team allows her to do so.”