Kate Middleton, King Charles, King Edward VII: Royal family's history with cancer

After staying away from the spotlight for months, Catherine revealed on March 22 that she had been diagnosed with cancer after abdominal surgery in January. 

In the video message, Kate shared that her cancer diagnosis has come as a huge shock, and currently, she's in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy for the undisclosed form of cancer that she's battling with. 

"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," she said.

In January 2023, cancer was diagnosed in King Charles's body when he was seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate at the hospital London Clinic. A week after he was discharged from the hospital, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had cancer, without revealing the type of cancer he had been suffering from. 

Buckingham Palace said: "During the king's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer." 

The third royal that has been diagnosed with the deadly disease is Sarah Ferguson. The Duchess of York has been diagnosed with a form of skin cancer known as malignant melanoma months after she underwent the surgery for breast cancer.  According to the spokesperson, Sarah's second cancer was diagnosed when she was receiving a treatment for her several moles that were removed from the body. During the process, a mole was found cancerous.

"She is undergoing further investigations to ensure that this has been caught in the early stages. Clearly, another diagnosis so soon after treatment for breast cancer has been distressing but the Duchess remains in good spirits," her rep said in a statement.  

Royal family had a history of keeping their health crises a secret from the public. Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother), who died in 2001 at the age 101, has suffered from multiple cancer. However, her health crises were kept secret till her last breath. After her death biographer William Shawcross revealed in his book, 'The Queen Mother: The Official Biography', that she had suffered from a breast cancer and colon cancer. A tumor was removed from her body in 1966. 

Queen Elizabeth's father King George VI, an avid smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer. The king breathed his last in 1952 aged 56, months after he underwent a surgery, during which his left lung was removed. While his surgery was successful, but his health continues to decline, and months later he died due to a clot in a coronary arteries. 

Queen Elizabeth's uncle King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in 1936, died after he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1971. Notably, he was a heavy smoker. 

King Edward VII, who ruled from January 1901 until his death in 1910, reportedly had a a basal-cell carcinoma on the side of his nose. His cancer was treated with radium in 1907.