The Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton, has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
In a statement recorded at Windsor by the BBC, Catherine said her condition had been discovered after she had major abdominal surgery in January.
The development comes after weeks of speculation about her health.
Catherine said she and her husband, Prince William, had needed time to explain the situation to their three children, George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five.
“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.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis appropriately and to reassure them that I will be OK.”
Buckingham Palace on February 5 revealed that King Charles was undergoing a procedure to treat cancer.