Joan Collins says Kate Middleton is being ‘very brave’ after the Princess Of Wales shared her cancer diagnosis: ‘We’re all going to pray for her’

Dame Joan Collins has shared that it was ‘very brave’ of Kate, Princess of Wales, to announce her cancer diagnosis alone on Friday.

The 42-year-old royal, who is married to Prince William and shares Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis, has been absent from public duties since January.

On Friday evening, Kate announced in a televised speech from Windsor that she is battling a form of the disease on her own.

Now 90-year-old Joan – who lost her sister Jackie Collins to cancer in 2015 – has shared her confidence that the princess will beat the disease and shared her ‘great admiration’ for her.

Speaking to GB News, she said: “I think we are all going to pray for her. And I think she’s going to survive. She will come out of this feeling strong. She’s young.

Kate, 42, who has been absent from public duties since January, announced in a televised address from Windsor on Friday that she is battling a form of cancer on her own.

“And I think she was very, very brave to make the announcement herself. Very brave, very unusual for a while to do that. And I have great admiration for her as a woman and as a person.’

The Princess of Wales had been away from public duty for several weeks when she made the shocking announcement on Friday evening.

Speaking from a bench surrounded by daffodils and spring blossoms, the future queen said: ‘I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding while I was recovering from surgery.

‘These have been incredibly difficult months for our entire family. But I have had a fantastic medical team that has taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.

‘In January I had major abdominal surgery in London. And at the time it was thought that my condition was not cancerous.

‘The operation was successful. However, there had been tests for cancer after the operation.

‘Of course this came as a huge shock. And Wiliam and I have done everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.

‘As you can imagine this has taken time, it has taken me time to recover from major surgery to start my treatment.’

Joan, 90, – who lost her sister Jackie Collins to cancer in 2015 – shared her confidence that the princess will beat the disease and has shared her ‘great admiration’ for her (pictured with Jackie in February 2015)

Joan said, “I think we’re all going to pray for her. And I think she’s going to survive. She will come out of this feeling strong. She’s young. I think she was very, very brave to make the announcement herself.”

The Princess of Wales had been away from public duty for several weeks when she made the shocking announcement from a bench surrounded by daffodils in Windsor.

The news came days after Kate was spotted laughing with Prince William as they left their favorite farm shop near their home in Windsor.

Catherine’s cancer was only discovered after she underwent major abdominal surgery at the London Clinic in January.

Kensington Palace has said it will not share details about what type of cancer the princess has, or what stage of cancer it is, and has asked people not to speculate.

The King – who is currently undergoing cancer treatment himself – and the Queen were both informed of the news. In a statement this evening, His Majesty said he is ‘so proud of Catherine for her courage to speak as she did’ and that he remains ‘in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law’.

The king and queen said they “will continue to offer their love and support to the entire family during this difficult time.”

It is not known whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were informed before the 6pm announcement.

Harry, who once described Kate as the ‘big sister I never had’ and affectionately called her ‘Cath’, is estranged from his brother and sister-in-law. It remains to be seen whether he will fly back to Britain to see her.

Tonight’s announcement will send shockwaves around the world and came after weeks of speculation – and wild conspiracy theories – about her health.

Kate’s battle with cancer in her own words: Full emotional video statement from the Princess of Wales

I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding while I was recovering from surgery.

It’s been an incredibly tough few months for our whole family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.

In January I had major abdominal surgery in London and at the time my condition was deemed 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.

As you can imagine, this has taken time. It took me time to recover from major surgery before I could start my treatment. But the most important thing is that it took us time to explain everything

George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that suits them, and to reassure them that I will be fine.

As I told them; I am doing well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirit.

Having William by my side is also a great source of comfort and reassurance. As does the love, support and kindness shown by so many of you. It means so much to both of us.

We hope you understand that we as a family now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.

At this time I also think of all those whose lives have been touched by cancer. To anyone facing this disease in any form, please do not lose faith and hope. You are not alone.