Watch the full video here – NBC Chicago

Kate Middleton has revealed she is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

The video announcement, released Friday, comes after weeks of speculation on social media about the Princess of Wales’s whereabouts and health since she was hospitalized in January for an unspecified abdominal operation.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all the wonderful messages of support and understanding while I recover from surgery,” Middleton said in the video. “It’s been an incredibly difficult few months for our whole family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who took great care of me, for which I’m very grateful.”

The full transcript of the video is available below:

I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all the wonderful messages of support and understanding while I recover from surgery. These last few months have been incredibly difficult for our entire family, but I have had a fantastic medical team who took great care of me, for which I am very grateful.

In January I had major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought my condition was not cancerous. The operation is a success. However, tests after the operation revealed the presence of cancer. My medical team therefore advised me to undergo preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of this treatment.

Of course, this was a huge shock, and William and I did everything we could to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.

As you can imagine, this took a while. It took me a while to recover from major surgery to begin my treatment. But, more importantly, it took us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that worked for them, and to reassure them that everything will be okay.

As I told them: I am doing well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirit.

Having William by my side is also a great source of comfort and reassurance. Just like the love, support and kindness so many of you have shown. It means so much to both of us.

We hope you understand that as a family we now 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 being back when I can, but for now I need to focus on making a full recovery.

At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For anyone facing this illness in any form, do not lose faith or hope. You’re not alone.

Kate, 42, had not been seen publicly since Christmas until a video emerged this week of her with her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne, walking from a farm shop near their home in Windsor.

Kensington Palace gave few details about Kate’s condition, saying only that it was not cancer-related, that the operation was successful and that recovery would keep the princess away from home. public functions until April.

The news comes as another shock to the royal family since it was announced last month that King Charles III was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer contracted while undergoing surgery for benign enlarged prostate.

Charles, 75, has stepped back from public duties while he undergoes cancer treatment, although he has frequently appeared in photos at meetings with government officials and dignitaries and has even been seen going to church.

Kate, on the other hand, was out of the picture, leading to weeks of speculation and gossip. Attempts to put the rumors to rest by posting a photo of her on Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, surrounded by her three smiling children, backfired when the Associated Press and other reporting agencies Press removed the image because it had been manipulated.

Kate released a statement the next day, acknowledging that she enjoyed “experimenting with retouching” and apologizing for “any confusion” caused by the photo. But that did little to quell speculation.

Even footage published by The Sun and TMZ that appeared to show Kate and William shopping sparked a new wave of rumors, with some detectives refusing to believe the video showed Kate.

Earlier this week, a British privacy watchdog said it was investigating a report that staff at the private London hospital where she was being treated tried to snoop on her medical records while she was was a patient for abdominal surgery.

The former Kate Middleton, who married William in a fairytale wedding in 2011, boosted the popularity and appeal of the British monarchy around the world more than any member of the royal family since Princess Diana.

The princess is the eldest of three children raised in a wealthy area of ​​Berkshire, west of London. The Middletons do not have an aristocratic background and the British press often describes Kate as a “commoner” marrying into royalty.

Kate attended the private girls’ school Marlborough College and then the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she met William around 2001. Friends and roommates at first, their relationship became public when they were photographed together during a ski vacation. in Switzerland in 2004.

Kate graduated in 2005 with a degree in art history and a budding relationship with the prince.