Catherine, the Princess of Wales has released an emotional video message announcing the completion of her chemotherapy.
“As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment,” Kate, 42, said in the video shared on official royal social media channels. “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown. The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.”
While Kate doesn’t use the words remission, she does seem to suggest she responded well to her treatment.
“Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus,” she says. “Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.”
Since March, Kate has made only a handful of public appearances, including her attendance at the Trooping the Colour in June and a mother-daughter date with Princess Charlotte at the men’s single final at Wimbledon in July.
The highly cinematic video, which features candid moments of Kate, Prince William and their three children enjoying a family picnic as well as the future king and queen cuddled up on a blanket outside, sees Kate reflect on how her diagnosis has changed her approach to life.
“With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything,” she says. “This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.”
While she’s kept the specifics of her diagnosis private, she hasn’t shied away from speaking directly to fellow cancer survivors. As she did in her last video update, Kate concluded her message with some words of hope for those who have been touched by cancer.
“To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand,” she says to close out the video. “Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright.
Original story:
“I am Going to be OK”: In an Emotional Statement, Kate Middleton Reveals She is Having Chemotherapy After Cancer Discovery
| Reuters March 22, 2024
Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, said on Friday she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy after tests taken following major abdominal surgery in January revealed cancer had been present.
Kate, 42, the wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, spent two weeks in hospital in January after having what her office said at the time was successful, planned surgery for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition.
However, in a video message, Kate said subsequent tests had revealed cancer had been found, but she said she was well and getting stronger.
“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,” Kate said in the video which was filmed on Wednesday.
“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.”
King Charles revealed in February that he too was to have treatment for cancer, meaning he has had to postpone his public royal duties.
Her office, Kensington Palace, said it would give no further details about the type of cancer. It said she was on a recovery pathway and the preventative chemotherapy had begun in February.
After her operation, the palace said Kate would not return to official duties until after Easter, but her absence from public life has provoked intense speculation on social media.
She and William had wanted privacy about the cancer until their children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, began their school holidays which started on Friday.
“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,” she said.
“As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”
Kate has not appeared at a public event since she joined other members of the royal family for a church service on Christmas Day.
– Reuters
(Reporting by Michael Holden)
Messages of Support Pour In
Upon release of Kate’s update, the international community took to social media to send messages of support to the Princess of Wales.
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