(NEWSnet) — Catherine, Princess of Wales, said Friday she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

The video announcement came after weeks of speculation spread on social media about her whereabouts and health since she was hospitalized in January for unspecified abdominal surgery.

The type of cancer has not been disclosed. She started chemotherapy in late February and the announcement comes as her father-in-law, King Charles, also undergoes cancer treatment.

"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," Kate, 42, said in the video, which was filmed at Windsor on Wednesday. "As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment."

The cancer was discovered in post-operative tests after her abdominal surgery in mid-January, Kate said.

Kate described it as a "major abdominal surgery," and said in her video, "at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous."

The type of surgery she underwent has not been released.

"The surgery was successful," Kate said. "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."

At the time of Kate's surgery, Kensington Palace said her condition was non-cancerous. The palace has provided little information on her condition since.

Kate will return to official duties when she's cleared by her medical team.

Kate's father-in-law, King Charles, is also undergoing treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.

The king's cancer diagnosis -- which came after he was treated for benign prostate enlargement -- was announced publicly by the palace on Feb. 5.

The type of treatment has not been revealed.

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet. All rights reserved.