Kate Middleton has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

The Princess of Wales has issued a statement detailing that tests after her operation in January found that 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,” said the statement. “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.”

The wife of the future King said it has “taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.” It has taken her “time to explain everything” to children George, Charlotte and Louis, she added.

Middleton called for “time, space and privacy” while she completes her treatment. She said having husband William “by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance.”

There had been speculation about Middleton’s health since soon after she first said she was having abdominal surgery in January, on the same day that King Charles was revealed to have cancer.

That speculation had heightened over the past fortnight after four major news agencies pulled a photo of Middleton and family from their libraries amid concerns it was manipulated. Middleton took the blame for poor photo editing skills the following day but it did little to quell media interest, worsened by a second supposedly doctored image and a grainy video of Middleton and Prince William in a farm shop.

Middleton has tended to be treated warmly by the British press, in contrast to brother-in-law Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who have been engaged in numerous court battles with the press and who live in LA.

Focus on the royals has barely let up this year and the world will be reminded of another royal brouhaha, the infamous Prince Andrew Newsnight interview, when Netflix’s Scoop feature launches next month.