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 “wordy” in her “brave, powerful and dignified” message revealing her cancer diagnosis.

Simon Lewis praised the Princess of Wales for being ‘hugely authentic’ in the video she recorded revealing the shocking news about her health – and suggested that ‘a lot of work went into what she wanted to say’.

Kate revealed she had undergone treatment for cancer in footage filmed in Windsor last Wednesday and released online on Friday evening.

Messages of goodwill for the princess have poured in from all over the world, from political leaders, celebrities and members of the public.

Prince Harry and Meghan have also both reached out to his brother William and Kate after finding out the princess has undergone treatment for cancer.

Kate is now on what is being described as a ‘recovery journey’ after starting a course of chemotherapy at the end of February.

A friend has said she wrote her post about battling cancer “very quickly” on her own.

And Mr Lewis, who did press for William’s grandmother Elizabeth II in 1988 and later served as Downing Street communications director for then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was pleased with the way she broke the news of her diagnosis.

He told Times Radio: ‘I think it’s unprecedented – I can’t think of any other occasion where a member of the royal family has spoken about his health on camera.

“So yeah, it’s a new direction and it seemed to me like she was literally perfect, the princess.

‘A lot of preparation must have gone into what she wanted to say, which I think came across as very authentic, and that’s the crucial thing about a piece of communication like this: people just 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 and her advisors at the time to get it right was enormous – and they did.

‘As I walk around today the outpouring of support and sympathy for the Princess is just palpable and I’m sure the statement has been an important part of that.

‘There is obviously huge support for her, but this will, I think, make a real difference to the way people view this crucial point about privacy, the privacy of everyone, including members of the Royal Family.’

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

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

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

In a statement released on behalf of the king on Friday evening, Buckingham Palace said: His Majesty is “so proud of Catherine for her courage to speak as she did.”

‘Following their time together in hospital, HM has ‘remained in close contact with his beloved daughter-in-law in recent weeks’.

Their Majesties “will continue to offer their love and support to the entire family at this difficult time.”

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

‘The operation was successful. However, tests after the surgery revealed that cancer was present.

‘My medical team therefore recommended that I undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

‘This obviously came as a huge shock, and William and I have done everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. You can imagine that this took time.’

Kate has rarely been seen in public since attending church at Sandringham in Norfolk on Christmas Day last year, although a member of the public filmed her and William after they visited 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 photo of Kate smiling with their three children – 10-year-old Prince George, 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 that she had edited the photo with Photoshop after media organizations including the Press Association and Reuters removed it from their feeds.

The furor came amid much online speculation – including conspiracy theories – surrounding Kate’s health, before she spoke out to clarify her diagnosis.

Mr Lewis said: ‘Kensington Palace decided, especially after the photo emerged and was misinterpreted by some, that they had to do something at the right time.

‘But of course the crucial point is that the children had to be told and they had to process the news.

“So here we are, fast forward, and I hope that this extremely courageous, dignified and powerful message from the Princess will put to rest any further speculation until she has completed her treatment.”

On releasing the Mother’s Day photo, he said: ‘I think it was a good decision at the time, but of course people didn’t realize how much attention would be paid to that one photo.

“And what we don’t know, of course, is where they ended up when it comes to communicating this news to their children.”