Prince Harry and Meghan Markle release statement after Kate Middleton announcement

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a joint statement following the news of the Princess of Wales' cancer treatment.

Breaking her weeks-long silence via an emotional video, the Princess of Wales, 42, today (22 March) announced she is undergoing cancer treatment, saying: “I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.

“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 thought that 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.

“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."

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have since released a joint statement, which said: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also issued a plea to the British public following Kate Middleton's cancer treatment announcement.

Taking to X, he wrote: “My thoughts are with the Princess of Wales, Prince of Wales, the Royal Family and in particular her three children at this difficult time.

"The Princess of Wales has the love and support of the whole country as she continues her recovery.

“She has shown tremendous bravery with her statement today.

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“In recent weeks she has been subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media.

“When it comes to matters of health, like everyone else, she must be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be with her loving family.

“I know I speak for the whole country in wishing her a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back in action when she’s ready.”

The British public have, as well, expressed support for the Princess following her announcement.

This comes after the King's diagnosis in February, when we learnt that he is also being treated for cancer.