Queen's ex-press secretary says Kate Middleton's 'brave, powerful and dignified' message was 'enormously authentic' - and 'a lot of work went into what she wanted to say'

Princess Kate has been praised by the late Queen Elizabeth's ex-press secretary for being 'word perfect' in her 'brave, powerful and dignified' message revealing her cancer diagnosis.

Simon Lewis hailed the Princess of Wales for being 'enormously authentic' in the video she recorded revealing the shock news about her health - and suggested 'a lot of work went into what she wanted to say'.

Kate told of receiving treatment for cancer in footage filmed last Wednesday at Windsor and released online on Friday evening. 

Messages of goodwill for the princess have flooded in from across the world, from political leaders, celebrities and members of the public. 

Prince Harry and Meghan have also both contacted his brother William and Kate after finding out the princess has been having treatment for cancer.

Kate revealed in a video message on Friday evening that she has been diagnosed with cancer

The Queen's former communications secretary Simon Lewis has praised the Princess of Wales

Kate is now on what has been described as a 'recovery pathway' having commenced a course of chemotherapy in late February.

A friend has said she wrote her cancer battle message 'by herself, very quickly'. 

And Mr Lewis, who handled press for William's grandmother Elizabeth II in 1988 and was later a Downing Street director of communications for then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, welcomed the way she delivered the news of her diagnosis.

He told Times Radio: 'I think it is unprecedented - I can't think of another occasion where a member of the royal family has spoken about their health on camera.

'So, yes, it's broken new ground and it looked to me as though she was word perfect, the princess.

'A lot of preparation must have gone into what she wanted to say, which I think came across enormously authentically which is the critical thing about a piece of communication like this - people simply have to believe it.

'The Princess of Wales is probably one of the most famous people in the world and the pressure on the princess at this time and her advisors to get it right was enormous - and they did.

'As I've been going about today, the huge amount of support and sympathy for the princess is just palpable and I'm sure the statement has been a significant part of it.

'There's obviously huge support for her but this, I think, will make a real difference to the way people can see this crucial point about the privacy, the privacy of everyone including members of the royal family.'

The Prince and Princess of Wales, pictured here at Fitzalan High School in Cardiff last October, have thanked the public for their support following news of her cancer treatment

Kate and her family attended church in Sandringham, Norfolk, on Christmas Day last year

She told in Friday's video message how she was now on a 'recovery pathway'

The cancer diagnosis has been revealed as the reason that William pulled out of a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece on February 27.

Kate spent a fortnight at the London Clinic after being admitted on January 16 for abdominal surgery.

King Charles and Queen Camilla visited her ward on January 26 before Charles himself underwent an operation for a benign prostate cancer condition - and was later diagnosed with cancer, for which he has been receiving treatment since.

In a statement released on the King's behalf on Friday night, Buckingham Palace said: 'His Majesty is "so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did".

'Following their time in hospital together, HM has "remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks".

'Both Their Majesties "will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time".'

Their words came after Kate released a video message recorded on Wednesday at Windsor, saying: 'In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.

'The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.

Simon Lewis described her words as 'extraordinarily brave and dignified and powerful'

King Charles, pictured here greeting Kate during an event at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2021, said on Friday he was 'so proud' of his 'beloved' daughter-in-law

The Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, pictured visiting Factory Works in Birmingham in October last year, spent a fortnight at the London Clinic after being admitted in January

'My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

'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.'

Kate has been rarely seen in public since attending church at Sandringham in Norfolk on Christmas Day last year - though a member of the public filmed her and William after visiting a farm shop earlier this month.

The couple were also photographed being driven from Windsor on March 11 before the prince attended a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in central London and Kate went on to a private appointment.

A photograph of Kate smiling with their three children - Prince George, ten, eight-year-old Princess Charlotte and five-year-old Prince Louis - was shared online on Mother's Day, March 10.

The princess followed that up with an apology the next day, admitting she had edited the picture using Photoshop after media organisations including the Press Association and Reuters withdrew it from their feeds.

The furore came amid plenty of online speculation - including conspiracy theories - surrounding Kate's health, before she spoke out to clarify her diagnosis.

Mr Lewis said: 'Kensington Palace made a decision, particularly after the photograph that appeared and was misinterpreted by some, that they had to do something at the right time.

Prince William and Kate with King Constantine of Greece at Windsor Castle in 2012 - the prince missed a memorial service for Constantine on February 27 after Kate's cancer diagnosis

The Prince of Wales attended the Bafta Film Awards 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall in London on February 18

William and Kate were seen leaving Windsor together as they were driven in a car on March 11

'But the critical thing is obviously that the children had to be told and they had to digest the news.

'So here we are, fast forward, and this quite extraordinarily brave and dignified and powerful message from the princess I hope will cap out any further speculation until she completes her treatment.'

He said about the release of the Mother's Day picture: 'I think at the time it was a good decision but of course people didn't realise just how much scrutiny there was going to be of that single photograph.

'And what we don't know, of course, is where they'd got to in terms of communicating this news to their children.'