LONDON – The mystery disappearance of Princess Kate has brought about a frenzy of speculation about her health. On Friday, Kensington Palace released a video of Kate, sharing information about her condition. She says she has cancer and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment.
She said it’s in the early stages. Kate said she underwent major abdominal surgery on January 14 for a condition that was believed to be non-cancerous but subsequent tests revealed cancer had been present.
A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024
This follows weeks of questions about Kate, the so-called look-a-likes spotted around England, and the botched photo of Kate and her kids released on Mother’s Day. Princess Kate admitted she had tried her hand at photo editing.
“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance,” Kate said.
She went on to say, “I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that help me heal. This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. 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.”
The clinic in London's Marylebone neighborhood, less than two miles (around three kilometers) from Buckingham Palace, has treated several members of the royal family over the decades. King Charles III spent a weekend there in January undergoing a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate. Soon after, the palace said that doctors had diagnosed the king with an unspecified form of cancer.
Charles, 75, was withdrawn from public duties while he has cancer treatment — a period that has coincided with Kate's disappearance from public view.
The princess’ absence from public view has fueled a tide of speculation, rumor and conspiracy theories.
On March 10, William and Kate’s Kensington Palace office released a photo of Kate and her children George, Charlotte and Louis to coincide with Mother’s Day in the U.K. The move backfired when The Associated Press and other news agencies retracted the picture from publication, because it appeared to have been manipulated, fueling even more conjecture.
Kate issued a statement acknowledging that she liked to “experiment with editing” and apologizing for “any confusion” the photo had caused.
The gossip hasn't been quieted by footage published by The Sun and TMZ that appears to show Kate and husband Prince William visiting a farm shop near their Windsor home on the weekend. The video sparked a new flurry of rumor-mongering, with some armchair sleuths refusing to believe the video showed Kate at all.
Nelson Silva, a local resident who said he shot the footage, told The Sun that conspiracy theorists are “delusional."
“I’m not so much shocked that these comments have continued, I’m just confused how exactly they can continue,” he was quoted as saying. “This is a video clearly showing her and William. I saw them with my own eyes.”