Catherine, Princess of Wales, praised for candid cancer admission

Catherine, Princess of Wales, won applause on Saturday for a very personal video announcing her shock cancer diagnosis, just weeks after King Charles III revealed he too was battling the disease.

The frank revelation, published Friday evening, leaves the British monarchy in an unprecedented crisis in modern times, with two of its most senior members battling serious illness simultaneously.

Head of state Charles – 17 months into his reign when Buckingham Palace announced in February that he was suffering from cancer and would cancel all his public engagements – paid tribute to his “beautiful -beloved daughter”.

The ailing 75-year-old monarch spoke of her pride at “her courage to speak as she did”, shortly after Kensington Palace posted the video on social media.

Following further warm words from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the White House, British newspapers directly quoted Kate on their Saturday covers while also praising her “courage” on the inside pages.

“Kate, you’re not alone,” reads the cover of The Sun tabloid.

“Dignified Kate enjoys the sympathy of the nation,” wrote Standard columnist Rachel Johnson, sister of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“Confidentiality” requirement

In her statement, Kate, as she is widely known, admitted the diagnosis came as a “huge shock” and asked for “time, space and privacy” as she completed chemotherapy for his unspecified cancer.

In the video – recorded on Wednesday in Windsor, west London, where the future queen and king live with their three young children – she insisted she was “doing well and getting stronger every day “.

She said it took them a while to explain the situation to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, “and reassure them that everything will be fine “.

“William and I have done everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Kate added.

Commenters praised her frank nature, with the princess speaking directly to the camera while sitting on a garden bench.

“A lot of people will have been very moved by the way she behaved during more than two minutes of the broadcast,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told AFP.

“But there is no doubt that this is a very, very difficult time for the monarchical institution,” he added, stressing that it was “almost impossible” to plan anything involving Charles or Kate .

Royal health problems

Buckingham Palace announced on February 5 that tests had identified that Charles was suffering from a “form of cancer”, without giving further details.

The discovery was made while Charles was undergoing surgery for benign prostate enlargement.

He canceled all public engagements, except audiences with the prime minister and ambassadors, and worked on official documents while receiving treatment.

Since then, he has been photographed several times and seen attending church.

William, Kate and their children are seen as the modern face of the British royal family and the key to its future as it faces waning support among young people and growing Republican sentiment.

She was last seen at a public engagement on December 25, when she joined the king and other members of the royal family at a church service on Christmas Day.

Kensington Palace announced on January 17 that she was likely to be hospitalized for two weeks and receive several months of recovery following abdominal surgery.

She is not expected to be ready to return to public office until Easter, March 31, according to a statement at the time.

Royal officials did not reveal the exact nature of his condition, but said it was not cancer-related.

“Do their best”

Friday's announcement abruptly upended those assumptions, with Kate revealing tests done after surgery “revealed the presence of cancer” and that she was now undergoing “preventative chemotherapy.”

Kensington Palace said she would return to official duties “when cleared to do so by her medical team.”

“Preventative chemotherapy after surgery is given to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back in the future,” said Andrew Beggs, senior clinical research fellow and consultant colorectal surgeon at the University of Birmingham.

He added that it was “a bit like cleaning a floor with bleach after you spilled something on it,” noting that chemotherapy “kills all the spilled cells.”

People outside Buckingham Palace expressed their shock at the news on Friday, despite weeks of speculation about Kate's health.

“I think they're really trying their best to balance things out,” said American tourist Hannah Dickerson, 20.

“It’s up to them to juggle how to talk about it publicly and privately making sure they do it on their own terms.” (AFP)