The Duchess of York has said she is “full of admiration” for the Princess of Wales after the future queen announced she was being treated for cancer, adding: “I hope she will now be given the time, space and privacy to heal.”
Sarah Ferguson, who was married to Prince Andrew and had daughters Beatrice and Eugenie with him, has made the remarks after Kate revealed her diagnosis on Friday.
The Duchess of York revealed in January that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
She posted on social media: “All my thoughts and prayers are with the Princess of Wales as she starts her treatment.
“I know she will be surrounded by the love of her family and everyone is praying for the best outcome.
“As someone who has faced their own battles with cancer in recent months, I am full of admiration for the way she has spoken publicly about her diagnosis and know it will do a tremendous amount of good to raise awareness.”
Kate shared news of her treatment in a video message and revealed she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
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The Princess of Wales said in the message that she and Prince William had been doing everything they could to “process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family”.
She added it has “taken time” to explain her diagnosis to her children George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is “appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK”.
Her statement followed weeks of global social media speculation and conspiracy theories about her whereabouts after she had not been seen on official engagements since last December.
The 42-year-old had planned abdominal surgery in January but was then not seen again publicly again until early March when she was photographed by celebrity news site TMZ.
In a message shared from her official X account on Friday, Kate said of her diagnosis: “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.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time. 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.”
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