Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, on Friday announced that the widely reported and “major” abominable surgery she underwent in January revealed a diagnosis of cancer, with chemotherapy started in late February.

The news was immediately reported around the world, seconds after she appeared in a released video on Friday.

“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,” Kate, 42, said in the video, which was filmed at Windsor Palace on Wednesday. “As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.”

Middleton added that the cancer was discovered in post-operative tests after her abdominal surgery in mid-January.