Kate Middleton has finally responded to months of speculation about her whereabouts.

The Princess of Wales, married to Prince William, the next in line to the British throne, announced today, March 22, that she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Kate Middleton revealed in a highly affecting video message that the disease was detected when she was undergoing significant abdominal surgery at the London Clinic earlier this year.

The 42-year-old princess stated that she needed to heal from surgery before starting “preventative chemotherapy,” as instructed by her medical staff.

Kate is the third member of the royal family to be diagnosed with cancer; Prince Charles confirmed in January that he has prostate cancer. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who has two children with Queen Elizabeth’s second son, Prince Andrew, is also suffering skin and breast cancer.

Kate’s physical condition has been the subject of weeks of speculation, with speculations and bizarre conspiracy theories circulating online. Today, she responded to the rumours online.

Wearing a blue and white striped jumper with blue trousers and sitting on a garden bench, Kate said she had needed time to come to terms with the news and tell her children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, before informing the world.

She said: “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.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thoughtthat my condition was non-cancerous.

“The surgery was successful. 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.”

Praising her husband as “a great source of comfort and reassurance”, Kate added: “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.”

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

“But, most importantly, 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.”

Kate asked for privacy to let the family cope with her condition.

She said: “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.”

Paying tribute to all those who are also suffering, she finshed 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.”

The video was filmed at Windsor on Wednesday, March 20, according to Kensington Palace. It is understood the video was released on the day William and Kate’s three children began their Easter school holidays to take advantage of the break to shield them from coverage of their mother’s health.

Kate was last seen at an official royal engagement at Christmas, when she attended church with the rest of the family at Sandringham.

She and William were then spotted at a farm shop in Windsor last week, which prompted outlandish speculation that she had been replaced by a body double because of how different she looked.

Watch Kate speak in the video below;