Kate Middleton has been diagnosed with cancer. The Princess of Wales made the stunning revelation Friday in an on-camera statement shared by Buckingham Palace.

Kate said that tests following her abdominal operation “found cancer had been present.” She added, “My medical team therefore advised that I should go a course of preventative chemotherapy and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”

Kate, 42, shares three children with Prince William — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, 

The palace nor Kate shared what type of cancer she’s battling, but the cancer was discovered after she underwent abdominal surgery. Kate is now undergoing chemo treatment for this cancer. The devastating news comes more than two months after the palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate had undergone “planned abdominal surgery.” That same day, the palace also announced King Charles III would seek treatment for an enlarged prostate. Some two weeks later, Buckingham Palace announced Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.

While Queen Camilla and the palace shared updates on Charles’ improving condition, Kate’s recovery progress was shrouded in mystery, all of which was compounded by the fact that 70 days had come and gone before Kate would be seen for the first time, albeit not in her official capacity. The palace had previously said Kate was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” which comes on March 31. But her absence triggered rampant speculation regarding her whereabouts, speculation that, unfortunately for all involved, morphed into vast and outlandish conspiracy theories.

Less than two weeks away from Easter, Kate was spotted with Prince William at a farm shop not far from their Windsor home. “Kate was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well,” an eyewitness told The Sun.

But the video footage obtained by TMZ showing Kate walking alongside William did very little to bring down the temperature, a notion underscored by Kate’s Photoshop fail celebrating Mother’s Day in the UK.

After some photo agencies pulled the Mother’s Day photo due to claims the image was manipulated, the Princess of Wales spoke out in a statement, tweeting, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”

The cancer diagnosis revelation comes just days after there was a potential breach of Kate’s health records. That there was a possible health records breach could explain why Kate was forced to come out and share her diagnosis. Amid the cancer diagnosis, the potential breach now becomes a far more serious matter.

As previously reported, British police were asked to look into a potential breach of Kate‘s health records in the wake of the ongoing speculation surrounding the Princess of Wales’ condition and whereabouts, a British health minister claimed. 

On March 19, the UK tabloid The Mirror reported that The London Clinic, where Kate was treated for her abdominal surgery, launched an investigation over claims staff tried to access her private medical records. 

The Information Commissioner’s Office, Britain’s data watchdog, later released a statement, confirming that they are looking into the matter. 

The ICO shared, “We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.”

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