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On March 22, 2024, Kate Middleton, in a video statement, announced that she has been diagnosed with cancer. Revealing details about the diagnosis, she stated:
"In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment."
The Princess of Wales' statement comes after the Kensington Palace announced in January that she underwent a "planned abdominal surgery," and would be away from royal duties for a while.
Her subsequent alleged disappearance from the public eye led to several social media theories that attempted to guess at the reason for the same.
Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis comes after her Mother's Day photo controversy
Kate Middleton made her last official public appearance on December 25, 2023, when she joined her husband, Prince William, and her children for a walk up to a church in Sandringham. She also visited the Evelina London Children's Hospital, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.
Following that, on January 17, Kensington Palace announced that the Princess has undergone a "planned abdominal surgery" and will take two weeks to return to her public duties.
On January 29, the palace announced that Kate has been discharged from the hospital, 13 days after her surgery;
"The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress."
On February 27, Princess William resumed public duties. Meanwhile, an announcement by Buckingham Palace revealed that King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer. Details about the diagnosis were not made public at the time of writing:
"During the King's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate englargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer."
In early March, a paparazzi photo, allegedly of Kate in a car with her mother driving went viral, sparking further conversation about her.
On March 10, to mark Mother's Day, Kensington Palace shared a picture of the Princess with her three children. However, news agencies pulled down the photo soon after, following allegations that it was heavily edited. The image was scrutinized and closely studied to find signs of editing.
On March 11, in a post on X, Kate Middleton issued a statement accepting that the photo was edited:
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C," she wrote.
On March 18, The Sun published a video of what looked like Kate Middleton and Prince William at a farm shop. However, netizens were not convinced that it was actually her.
Four days after that, on March 22, Middleton announced her cancer diagnosis.
Many are now awaiting her first public appearance, after news about her health condition was announced. Given the Royal Family has a tradition of spending the Easter holiday together, including a walk through the grounds of Windsor Castle and a church service on Easter Sunday, there is speculation that she might be seen during that time.
