Kate, Princess of Wales, has cancer - 27th March 2024

The Princess of Wales, Catherine, has got cancer. She told people in a video.

A few weeks ago, Kate went into hospital. She had a stomach problem. She had an operation. Doctors did some tests and found cancer. Now, she's having chemotherapy.

This Australian tourist was surprised.

Amy Watson: "Yeah, well I actually got the notification of her diagnosis as I was just standing outside of the palace. It's quite a shock, yeah."

Now, the newspapers and the public know. Before the video, people had lots of questions. People knew the Princess was ill. They didn't know the reason.

This tourist is from the US.

Hannah Dickerson: "I think, I think they're really doing their best to balance it. I think they, I feel like with all the news about Kate's, like, disappearance and her not being here, I feel like that's them juggling how, how to balance telling the public but also privately making sure they do it in their own terms. So, I think it's just a massive challenge, but I think they understand that we want to know the information and people care and want to know. So I think it's just, it's hard but they're doing a good job."

For the Princess, the bad news was a surprise too. They have three children. They had to tell them about the situation.

This year isn't an easy one for the royal family. In January, King Charles said he had cancer. Another family member's sick too - the Duchess of York has cancer.

The Princess of Wales asked everyone to understand. The hospital's looking after her. Now, the Princess's family needs time. They need to be quiet. They don't want journalists everywhere. Kate wants to get well.