'Absurd' Kate Middleton rumours slammed as Princess faces 'battle ahead' after cancer news

Former Royal correspondent Jennie Bond has condemned the "social media trolls" behind recent "ghastly" rumours about the Royal family and praised Kate Middleton as "courageous," after she publicly announced she had cancer in an unprecedented and deeply moving video message to the nation on Friday evening.The Princess of Wales, 42, said her abdominal surgery in January was a "success," but added that whilst medical tests at the time did not find cancer; unfortunately follow-up assessments have now confirmed its presence, and she will now undergo "preventative chemotherapy" to tackle the condition.The type and severity of the Princess' cancer has not been made public at this stage.

Within hours of the Princess' announcement, thousands of people from across the UK, the Commonwealth and beyond took to social media to send their best wishes to the Princess, her husband Prince William, and the couple's three young children, whilst several journalists and royal correspondents have spoken of how "brave" and unusual it is for a Princess to share such a detailed insight into her health, especially amid bizarre and "absurd" rumours that have been circling online in recent weeks.

Jennie, 73, was BBC News' Royal Correspondent from 1989 to 2003 and is often invited onto news programmes to share her perception of Royal events and announcements.

After Princess Kate's announcement, she spoke to Sky News and praised the Princess as "courageous" and "brave," before criticising "social media trolls" and their "ghastly, hurtful theories" which, she claims, have likely pushed the Princess to making such an unusual public announcement. "What a courageous young woman she is.