President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday extended his and the Filipino people’s well wishes and prayers for Kate Middleton, now Catherine, Princess of Wales, as she battles the “Big C.”

“The Filipino people have Catherine, the Princess of Wales, in their thoughts and prayers throughout this challenging time,” Marcos wrote in response to the Princess of Wales’ video message that aired recently.

“We pray for her good health and continued healing, and for the strength of her family during this difficult period,” he added.

The princess announced in a video message on X (formerly Twitter) last Friday that she had started chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer.

She made the video following weeks of speculation on her whereabouts and well-being since her hospitalization in January.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” Kate said.

“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. 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,” she said.

Health struggles

Kate refrained from disclosing the specific type of cancer she had been diagnosed with, and she also requested privacy and understanding.

The cancer diagnosis added to a string of recent health struggles faced by the royal family.

In February, King Charles was diagnosed with cancer, less than 18 months after he ascended to the throne following the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022.

Following the diagnosis, he withdrew from public duties. Buckingham Palace has also refrained from disclosing the stage of King Charles’s cancer.

Earlier, on 21 January, Sarah, Duchess of York, the former wife of Prince Andrew, revealed that she had been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer.