“The Crown ”Star Says He Found Online Talk About Kate Middleton 'Sad': 'I Always Feel So Sorry for Them'

"I just hope she's all right," said Josh O'Connor, who played a young King Charles in the Netflix drama, said amid Princess Kate's cancer diagnosis

The Crown star Josh O'Connor is sending his well-wishes to Kate Middleton amid her recent cancer news.

The actor, 33, who portrayed a young King Charles in seasons 3 and 4 of the Netflix drama, was asked about the Princess of Wales' cancer news while speaking at Tuesday's premiere of his new film Challengers in Sydney, Australia. Although the actor, who starred as the then-Prince of Wales in The Crown alongside Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, previously said in 2020 that he's "not interested in the royal family," per the Irish Times, he expressed sympathy for the royal.

"I really missed all the Kate stuff that everyone was talking online about," O'Connor told 9honey Celebrity, seemingly referring to the online conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts before Princess Kate, 42, revealed her diagnosis on Friday.

"And as soon as I heard about [Catherine, Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis]...I just always feel so sorry for them," he added.

Related: Kate Middleton Found 'Comfort' in Public Reaction to King Charles' Cancer Diagnosis

"I know it's part of their job, but they're born into it. And the way everyone was talking about Kate, I found really sad," O'Connor continued.

"But I just hope she's all right, and everyone's thinking of her and sending her good wishes," O'Connor said.

Princess Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis on Friday in a personal video message. In the emotional clip, the royal started by thanking well-wishers for their "wonderful messages of support" amid her recovery from her Jan. 16 abdominal surgery. She said it had been "an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family."

Related: Kate Middleton Had a 'Tight' Circle of Knowledge Around Cancer News: 'Heck of a Shock,' Friend Says (Exclusive)

"In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous," she said. "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."

Calling the diagnosis a "huge shock," Kate said that she and Prince William "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."

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"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 referring to their three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. "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's announcement came after Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles' cancer diagnosis on Feb. 5. PEOPLE has been told the monarch is "progressing well" amid his ongoing treatment.

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