Kate Middleton says she is focusing on ‘full recovery’ amid chemotherapy treatment

Catherine, Princess of Wales, has released a video message after the headlines surrounding her health and revealed she is undergoing treatment for cancer.

In a video released by Kensington Palace on March 22, Kate Middleton explained that doctors found cancerous cells and she has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous,” she said in the video.

She explained tests after her operation found that cancer was 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," she added.

Kate said the news came as "a huge shock," and that she and husband Prince William have been "doing everything" they can to "process and manage this privately" for the sake of their "young family."

"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 added, referencing the three children she shares with William.

"Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too — as is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both," she said.

Kate also asked that people respect her and her family's privacy.

"We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery," she said.

Earlier this week, British newspaper The Mirror reported staff at the London Clinic, the hospital where the princess had her abdominal surgery earlier this year, allegedly tried to access her medical notes.

The former Kate Middleton, 42, was aware of the potential privacy breach where at least one member of the London Clinic's staff tried to access her records, The Mirror reported.

In response to a question about The Mirror's report that the London Clinic was investigating whether staff tried to access the princess’s medical records, the Information Commissioner’s Office, the U.K.'s privacy and data collection agency, confirmed to NBC News it had "received a breach report and are assessing the information provided."

Kensington Palace said in a statement to NBC News: "This is a matter for The London Clinic."

The London Clinic told NBC News in a statement March 20 that it was "acutely aware of our individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality."

"We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day," the clinic said. "We have systems in place to monitor management of patient information and, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken.

"There is no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues.”

Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello magazine, said on TODAY March 20 that the alleged incident appeared to be "quite a serious breach."

"Even if it’s someone who was just feeling a little bit nosy, they should not have been able to access her record," Nash said, speaking from outside Buckingham Palace.

"For someone like the Princess of Wales, who’s made it clear how much she wants to keep her privacy for now, around her condition, this will be very alarming."

A London Metropolitan Police spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News on March 20 that police were not aware of any referral and were not investigating at that time.

The alleged breach came after it was reported that Kate knew of media frenzy and even some of the conspiracy theories that have surrounded her in recent days, according to Britain’s The Sunday Times newspaper, which cited unnamed "friends" in a new story over the weekend.

Kate has come under increased scrutiny recently since acknowledging a family portrait she released March 10 had been digitally altered.

Video circulated on March 18 showed Kate and William walking at what was reported to be a Windsor market over the weekend.

In the footage — released by The Sun and TMZ — the princess was seemingly all smiles black leggings and a sweatshirt as the royal couple carried their shopping bags. Kensington Palace declined to comment on the video.

Kate had been taking an extended break from public appearances as she recovered from a planned abdominal surgery in January, according to Kensington Palace.

Notably, the princess was absent from this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Aldershot, England, an event she has attended in past years.

Her husband has been carrying out solo royal engagements in the meantime, including a recent visit to a youth center and an appearance at the Diana Legacy Awards on March 14.

Despite his commitments, the Wales family “bubble” remains the prince’s top priority, sources close to William told The Sunday Times.

Sunday Times royals editor Roya Nikkhah, who authored the story, wrote that friends of William and Kate said "the couple hoped and expected that request to be respected for the duration of her recovery."

On TODAY on March 18, Nikkhah said about the couple: "As parents of three young children, who are not immune to hearing some of the things going around in the media and social media, I think they’re finding that very hard."

The newspaper also suggested that the princess would not be seen in public again until mid-April, which would be after the children’s Easter break from school.

Nikkhah said on TODAY: "In terms of resuming public duties, that definitely won’t be until the children go back after their school holidays, and that’s on April the 17th."

Earlier this year, Kensington Palace said in a statement to NBC News that Kate was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”

What kind of surgery did Kate Middleton have?

The princess had a planned abdominal surgery on Jan. 16 and was "doing well," a royal spokesperson told NBC News in February.

The palace has not shared any details about the nature of her surgery, but a royal spokesperson did confirm that the condition that led to the procedure was not cancerous at the time.

The princess spent 13 days in a London hospital before returning home to continue her recovery, and Kensington Palace said in a Jan. 29 statement that Kate was making “good progress.”

“The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided,” the statement continued. “The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”

As Kate later confirmed in March in a video message, "It was thought that my condition was noncancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present."

She added that her medical team advised her to undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and said she is in the "early stages of that treatment."

Where is Kate Middleton?

Kate shared in a video message March 22 she has been undergoing chemo treatment for cancer.

"It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful," she said in her video message.

After successfully having surgery in January for a condition she believed was noncancerous, tests found cancer had been present.

Kate's prolonged absence until recently from the public eye has sparked unsubstantiated online rumors about her health and whereabouts.

On Feb. 29, Kensington Palace reminded the public that the princess’s long break from public royal duties had been previously planned and announced.

“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates,” a spokesperson for the princess said in a statement to NBC News. “That guidance stands.”

However, that did not stop rumors from swirling online. Over the past few months, baseless conspiracy theories claiming that Kate is missing, or else underwent a secret cosmetic procedure, have gathered steam on social media.

Online speculation about the princess went into overdrive earlier in March after she released a photo for U.K. Mother’s Day of herself and her children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

“Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months,” the photo's caption read on the post shared to William and Kate's official social media page. “Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.”

Not long after the portrait was released, several leading photo agencies issued “kill notices” for the picture because it appeared to be digitally manipulated.

NBC News reported in March that the photo likely wasn’t created using AI but was probably edited in a program like Photoshop.

Professional photos often receive editing treatment with adjustments to effects like color brightness and contrast. Because the royal photo had been manipulated in multiple ways, it violated policies of many news wire services.

The Associated Press provided an example of how the pic violated their standards in a statement to NBC News March 10, saying, in part, "It appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand."

Kate then appeared to personally address the photo editing controversy in a social media post.

“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” read a March 11 message on the official X account of the Prince and Princess of Wales. “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.”

What happened to Kate Middleton?

On March 22, Kate released a video message via Kensington Palace with an update on her health.

She explained that in January after her successful major abdominal surgery, which she believed was noncancerous, tests showed cancer was present. She said her medical team advised her to "undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy" and added she is "in the early stages" of that treatment.

"As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment," she said.

Kate added that she told her family: "I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits."

She concluded her message by saying, "At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone."

Kensington Palace previously shared the princess stepped away from her public duties for a few months, as planned, to recover from that abdominal surgery.

Her last royal public appearance was in December, and she has been spotted in a few unofficial photos since her surgery.

On March 4, a photographer took pictures that appeared to show Kate riding in an SUV driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, near Windsor Castle.

The following week, a new photo surfaced that showed William and Kate riding together in the back of a Range Rover. Kensington Palace told NBC News that in this photo, the prince and princess were on their way to a “private appointment.”

The Range Rover photo surfaced just hours after Kate apologized for the “confusion” over her recent family portrait — and before long, rumors popped up online that the picture of Kate and William had also been digitally manipulated.

The agency that took the Range Rover picture, Goff Photos, denied this in a March 12 statement, saying that the photo had not been digitally altered beyond minor cosmetic touch-ups.

The agency said in a statement that “images of the Prince and Princess of Wales in the back of the Range Rover have been cropped and lightened” but that “nothing has been doctored!”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com