Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, revealed in March that she has been diagnosed with cancer. The Princess added that she is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy. In a video message, released on X (formerly Twitter) by Kensington Palace, Kate Middleton added she is in the “early stages of that treatment.” Amid this, Prince William has now shared an update on his wife’s health, as per E! Online.

A person in the crowd inquired about Ms Middleton and their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 6, during the Prince of Wales’s April 30 appearance at the James Place Newcastle grand opening. “All doing well, thank you. We’re all doing well,” Prince William said in the footage going viral on social media.

Notably, the 42-year-old Princess called the cancer discovery a “huge shock”. The news came as a fresh health blow to the British royal family as King Charles is also undergoing cancer treatment. She spent two weeks in hospital in January after undergoing what her office said at the time was successful, planned surgery for an unspecified but non-cancerous condition. However, Kate Middleton said in a video message that subsequent tests had revealed cancer had been found. She said she was well and getting stronger.

“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,” said Kate. She 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.”

Meanwhile, in recognition of Ms Middleton’s growing role within the royal family, King Charles bestowed a new title upon her. She will now also be known as The Royal Companion of The Order of the Companions of Honour. This prestigious honour coincided with the birthday of her youngest son, Prince Louis, who turned six on April 24.

An investigation has been launched at the clinic where Kate Middleton had her abdominal surgery after a staff member tried to access her private medical records, as per a report in The Guardian. This comes as the 42-year-old has been away from the public eye since December. According to Kensington Palace, she is recovering at home after a “planned abdominal surgery” in January. Other than a couple of blurry pictures and videos, she has not been seen and social media has been abuzz with speculation about her health, generating global headlines and rumours.

The report, quoting the Mirror, added that at least one employee attempted to obtain Kate Middleton’s medical records in January while she was a patient at The London Clinic in Marylebone, London. The senior hospital management “contacted Kensington Palace immediately after the incident was brought to their attention and assured the palace there would be a full investigation”.

A source told the outlet, “This is a major security breach and incredibly damaging for the hospital, given its unblemished reputation for treating members of the royal family. The whole medical staff have been left utterly shocked and distraught over the allegations and were very hurt that a trusted colleague could have allegedly been responsible for such a breach of trust and ethics.”

The UK’s authority for data protection and privacy said that it had received a breach report. An Information Commissioner’s Office spokesperson told the outlet, “We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.” Meanwhile, the Kensington Palace said that it “is a matter for the London Clinic.”

The London Clinic refused to respond to the claims but said that their patients “deserve total privacy” about their medical records. “We firmly believe that all our patients, no matter their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their medical information,” they added.

Although the details of Ms Middleton’s condition are unknown, Kensington Palace has previously stated that it is unrelated to cancer and that the 42-year-old wants her medical information to remain private. Based on medical advice at the time, the Princess was “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter” on March 31.

Notably, Kate Middleton was spotted at a farmer’s market with her husband Prince William on March 16. The new video, published by the British media, showed a smiling Princess, dressed in a black outfit, walking with her husband, carrying shopping bags at the Windsor market. Some people allege that the woman in the video did not resemble the Princess of Wales while others say that they are happy to see Ms Middleton “happy and healthy”. Many on the internet also added that the photos looked too grainy when every phone had a smartphone or HD camera.

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has been away from the public eye since December, leaving social media users speculating about the UK royal. According to Kensington Palace, the 42-year-old is recovering at home after a “planned abdominal surgery” in January, but some users believe the royal is in an “induced coma”. Amid the speculations, the royal’s senior staff members are not aware of her post-recovery process. Some of the staffers stated that she was nowhere to be seen. 

“A few of Kate’s senior staffers haven’t been able to see or speak to her, and they didn’t even know about the surgery until it was announced, so it’s caught them off guard,” a source told Us Weekly.

According to the New York Post, some of them had no idea about the surgery until it was announced by Kensington Palace. “Only a few people know what’s really going on, and they’re tight-lipped. It’s confusing and causing some concern,” they continued. 

A “shroud of secrecy” surrounds Ms Middleton, the report continued, adding that the only guests have been the cancer-stricken King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla.  It added that the palace is keeping the royal’s post-op recuperation “very hush-hush.”

“Kate’s said she feels she’s entitled to heal and recuperate without all of this frenzied speculation. Neither Kate nor William think her medical records should be for public consumption. She’s trying not to pay attention to all the rumours and gossip, and William is doing his best to shield her, but it’s distressing,” they added.

Meanwhile, a controversy started after the Princess of Wales shared a family snap of herself with her children on Mother’s Day. The photo was withdrawn by news agencies after it was found to have been “manipulated”. The princess later apologised, saying, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.” The 42-year-old was said to be “very sad” that a happy family photo had sparked such an uproar.

However, the incident gave rise to a new wave of conspiracy theories about the British royal, which have been termed “Katespiracy” online. Many people were also curious about whether British royals had ever manipulated photographs, and media outlets like CNN announced that they would look over all of the handout photos that Kensington Palace had previously provided.