Kate Middleton cancer diagnosis latest news: Live updates as King Charles supports Princess while the world reacts to diagnosis and Prince Harry and Meghan reach out after her illness was announced

Rishi Sunak led messages of support for the Princess of Wales from across the political spectrum after she announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer.

The Prime Minister praised Kate’s ‘tremendous bravery’ after she revealed that she had been diagnosed with the disease and was in the early stages of chemotherapy following mounting speculation about her health.

He said the royal has ‘the love and support of the whole country’ and called for her to be given privacy as she continues treatment, criticising the ‘intense scrutiny’ she has been subjected to in recent weeks.

In a statement released shortly after Kate’s announcement, the PM 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. 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. 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 with her loving 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.’

Left wing activist and journalist Owen Jones had previously taken to X to join in with the speculation surrounding the Princess of Wales.

He is the latest to say sorry, in a post on X he wrote: ‘As someone who speculated on this without considering it could be a serious health condition, I’m very ashamed to be honest, and all the very best to her.’

The actress, 36, was slated by fans after she plugged her drinks range on March 13 – and took aim at the photo-editing controversy around a family shot of the Princess of Wales, 42, and her children released on Mother’s Day in the UK.

She wrote: ‘I’m so excited to share this new photo I just took today to announce our 4 new @bettybuzz & @bettybooze products! Now you know why I’ve been MIA.’

‘I made a silly post around the ‘photoshop fails’ frenzy and, oh, man, that post has me mortified today.’

It is not clear if the contact was a phone, video call or some messages of support. The possibility of whether Harry would fly back to the UK is not known.