Rishi Sunak sends message of support to Kate Middleton following cancer diagnosis

The Princess of Wales announced her condition in a video released by Kensington Palace earlier this evening.

In a Twitter post, the country's leader said: "My thoughts are with the Princess of Wales, Prince of Wales, the Royal Family and in particular her three children at this difficult time.

He added: "The Princess of Wales has the love and support of the whole country as she continues her recovery."

"She has shown tremendous bravery with her statement today," he added.

"In recent weeks she has been subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media. When it comes to matters of health, like everyone else, she must be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be loving with her family.

"I know I speak for the whole country in wishing her a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back in action when she's ready.

Speculation about Middleton’s whereabouts have dominated headlines in recent weeks however Kensington Palace released a statement on Friday in which they confirmed that the Princess has been diagnosed with cancer.

A video which featured the Princess was released to their social media account in which she revealed that she was undergoing treatment after the cancer was discovered following major abdominal surgery on January 14.

During the video, Middleton stressed that she was well and hopeful of making a “full recovery” while also requesting that her and the family’s privacy is respected at this difficult time.

“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both,” the Princess continued.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.

“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.”

Kate added that their time away from the spotlight has also been to help their children understand the diagnosis and her ongoing recovery.