Princess of Wales, shock cancer news

Catherine, the Princess of Wales, has revealed that she's undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer, in an unprecedented personal video statement.

She affirmed that the diagnosis had come on the heels of major abdominal surgery. Despite going smoothly, she's been taking preventative chemotherapy after the analytic checks subsequent to the procedure exposed cancerous cells.

One holidaymaker from Australia, Amy Watson, expressed the shock felt by many.

Amy Watson: "Yeah, well I actually got the notification of her diagnosis as I was just standing outside of the palace. It's quite a shock, yeah."

Commended for her courage in going public by her father-in-law King Charles, this revelation draws a line under weeks of media conjecture regarding the 42-year-old's health and the rationale for the initial surgery.

Hannah Dickerson, currently holidaying in London, is from the US.

Hannah Dickerson: "I think, I think they're really doing their best to balance it. I think they, I feel like with all the news about Kate's, like, disappearance and her not being here, I feel like that's them juggling how, how to balance telling the public but also privately making sure they do it in their own terms. So, I think it's just a massive challenge, but I think they understand that we want to know the information and people care and want to know. So I think it's just, it's hard but they're doing a good job."

Princess Catherine - Kate - reported that the cancer diagnosis had been a bolt out of the blue. Time, she admitted, had been crucial to impart with sensitivity what was happening to their three young offspring.

For the wider royal family, this year's already presented numerous hurdles. In January, King Charles divulged that he'd been diagnosed with cancer and was subsequently undergoing treatment, after prostate surgery.

Later that month, Sarah, the one-time wife of the monarch's brother, Andrew, announced she was engaging in treatment for skin cancer. The Duchess of York had been undergoing breast cancer therapy when a malignant melanoma was spotted.

While she's on the road to healing, Kate has made a dignified plea to the public to acknowledge her family's predicament, requesting privacy and distance.

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