Kate Middleton & Prince William 'Touched' By Support Following Cancer News

Transcript

00:00 Kate Middleton is sharing her thanks for all the support following her shocking health

00:06 update. The Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis in a video message released

00:12 by Kensington Palace on March 22, in which Kate confirmed that she has begun preventative

00:18 chemotherapy. One day later, Kate and her husband, Prince William, shared a joint statement

00:25 noting that they are "touched by all the love and support the family has received since

00:30 sharing Kate's diagnosis." The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the

00:36 kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world

00:41 in response to Her Royal Highness' message. A spokesperson for Kensington Palace shared

00:46 in a statement with multiple outlets, adding "They are extremely moved by the public's

00:52 warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy

00:57 at this time." Kate's news comes weeks after she underwent what the Palace called a "planned

01:03 abdominal surgery" in January that required a nearly two-week hospital stay. In her message,

01:10 the Princess reflected on how she and William had prioritized their three children, Prince

01:15 George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, during the challenging time and why they continue

01:20 to request space as they navigate their next steps.

01:24 I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you personally for all the wonderful messages

01:30 of support and for your understanding whilst I've been recovering from surgery. It has

01:36 been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I've had a fantastic

01:41 medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I'm so grateful. In January,

01:46 I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition

01:52 was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful, however tests after the operation found cancer

01:59 had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of

02:05 preventative chemotherapy and I'm now in the early stages of that treatment. This of course

02:12 came as a huge shock and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and

02:17 manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has

02:23 taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment,

02:29 but most importantly it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte

02:34 and Louis in a way that's appropriate for them and to reassure them that I'm going to

02:39 be okay. As I've said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on

02:46 the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side

02:51 is a great source of comfort and reassurance too, as is the love, support and kindness

02:57 that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both. We hope that you'll

03:04 understand that as a family we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my

03:10 treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being

03:17 back when I'm able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery. At this time I'm

03:25 also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing

03:31 this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.

03:38 [Music]