Shannen Doherty Posts Emotional Message amid Kate Middleton's Cancer Diagnosis: 'I Admire Your Strength'

The 52-year-old actress, who has stage 4 cancer, voiced her support for the Princess of Wales on Friday

Shannen Doherty is praising Kate Middleton for her “strength” following her cancer diagnosis.

On Friday, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, 52, shared her support for the Princess of Wales, 42, in a post after the royal announced that she is undergoing treatment for cancer. The actress also spoke out against the public scrutiny the princess has faced in recent weeks.

“Being a public figure does not mean the public owns that person,” Doherty, who is living with stage 4 cancer herself, began her post on Instagram. “We ALL have the right to go through illness or life privately.”

“The onslaught of conspiracy theories, ownership, and plain, morbid curiosity forced this person to explain herself before she had come to terms with it and explained to her children,” she continued. “I pray this is a learning moment for us all to respect, privacy or others, regardless of being in the public eye.”

“And Princess Kate, I admire your strength through the endless onslaught you've been under while going through cancer,” Doherty concluded.

Related: Shannen Doherty Was Worried That Radiation Might 'Zap Something' and Change Her Personality

The Princess of Wales revealed that she has cancer in an emotional video message posted on Friday.

Kate explained that she received the diagnosis after post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery in January "found cancer had been present” and said that she has now started preventative chemotherapy.

Doherty’s well-wishes for the princess come amid her own experience living with the disease. The actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and underwent brain surgery and radiation in January 2023. In a November PEOPLE cover story, she shared that the cancer had spread to her bones, leaving her with the prospect of “another 3 to 5 years of life.” 

Doherty has spoken candidly about her health journey on social media as well as on her podcast Let’s Be Clear. 

Several days ago, the actress posted a throwback photo from last January that showed her smiling in a hospital bed following surgery.

Related: Shannen Doherty Shares How Her Cancer Diagnosis Affected Her Filming of the Horror Movie Bethany

“January 2023 I had brain surgery to remove a tumor. The things on my forehead were for mapping,” Doherty explained in the caption. “I didn’t ask nearly enough questions, fear and too much going on just seized me.”

The actress's caption went on to say that in her latest podcast episode, she was finally able to ask more questions about her surgery as she caught up with her brain surgeon Dr. Ray Chu, who appeared as a guest.

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On Thursday, she posted another photo of her after she “woke up from brain surgery” posing with Dr. Chu, who was the “first person I saw,” in hospital.

Doherty's Friday post comes amid an outpouring of support for the Princess of Wales, as senior royals, members of her family and high-profile figures shared their well wishes.

King Charles is "so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told PEOPLE on Friday. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also shared words of support for Princess Kate, saying in a statement that, "We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace."

James Middleton, the younger brother of the Princess of Wales, posted a previously unseen photograph of the pair when they were younger on Instagram Friday. He included a heartfelt caption alongside the image: "Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too."

Charles Spencer, uncle to Prince William and Prince Harry and brother to the late Princess Diana, praised Kate's “Incredible poise and strength,” in an Instagram post he shared on Saturday, which included a screenshot of the princess from the video she shared on social media.

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