BRAVE Princess Kate has told cancer sufferers "you are not alone" after her own diagnosis.
The mum-of-three, 42, released a touching video statement to reveal she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing "preventative chemotherapy".
In the video message, Kate Middleton said the news had come as a "huge shock" to herself, her husband Prince William and to their three young children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
But the courageous mother revealed a heartfelt message to other cancer sufferers in her message.
She said: "At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer.
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"For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone."
In her video message, Kate admitted it had been an "incredibly tough couple of months" for her entire family - but was thankful for the messages of support.
She said: "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."
The diagnosis came after Kate underwent major abdominal surgery in January.
More from Kate's emotional message...
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wish Kate ‘health and healing’
- Kate's family share childhood photo and break silence
- King Charles says he’s ‘so proud’ of his daughter-in-law
- The Princess won’t return to royal duties until she’s cleared
- 'William is by my side' says Kate in shock cancer statement
- Kate's diagnosis 'was reason Will pulled out of service'
- Experts slam trolls who caused her more pain at a difficult time
And while the surgery was a success, with medics initially thinking her condition was "non-cancerous", tests after the operation detected the disease.
Kate was then advised to undergo chemotherapy - and is now in the early stages of treatment.
The mother-of-three is choosing not to share the type of cancer.
The diagnosis was the reason that William pulled out of a thanksgiving service at Windsor last month for a "personal matter", it is understood.
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Kate and William have told their children of the news, who broke up from school for Easter holidays today.
In the video - filmed at Windsor on Wednesday - she said: "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.
"As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.
"Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. "
Kate has not been seen at any official Royal engagements since Christmas.
The Princess of Wales has spoken to King Charles, 75, who revealed his cancer diagnosis six weeks ago.
His Majesty is said to have started receiving “pioneering” treatment and will return regularly to London for care.
Charles is expected to have further cancer treatment as an out-patient in London this month and the Palace has yet to set a date for his return to frontline duties.
According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 375,000 new cancer cases in the UK every year.
In females, there are more than 182,000 new cancer cases every year.
Every two minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer.
