Shannen Doherty has shared her support for Princess Kate Middleton as they both battle forms of cancer.
“Princess Kate, I admire your strength [through] the endless onslaught you’ve been under while going [through] cancer,” Doherty, 52, wrote via Instagram on Friday, March 22.
Kensington Palace announced earlier on Friday that Kate, 42, had been diagnosed with a form of cancer but did not disclose further details.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” Kate said in the palace’s video. “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’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”
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Shortly after Kate’s abdominal procedure, the palace confirmed that it was successful and noted the princess would recuperate privately until after Easter. Days later, rumors started swirling about Kate’s well-being and whereabouts when royal watchers realized that she hadn’t made a public appearance since December 2023. Kate has since been spotted on low-key outings throughout the month of March. The speculation led to rampant theorizing about the nature of Kate’s condition, which neither the princess nor the palace initially planned to address.
“Being a public figure does not mean the public owns that person. We ALL have the right to go [through] illness or life privately,” Doherty added in her social media message. “The onslaught of conspiracy theories, ownership and plain morbid curiosity forced this person to explain herself before she had come to terms with it and explained to her children. I pray this is a learning moment for us all to respect the privacy of others regardless of being in the public eye.”
Doherty is also battling cancer, first being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. After going through chemotherapy, Doherty found out in 2017 that she was in remission. However, three years later, her cancer recurred and developed to stage IV.
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“I don’t think I’ve processed it,” she said on Good Morning America in February 2020. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways. … You know, our life doesn’t end the minute we get that diagnosis. We still have some living to do.”
As Doherty continued treatment, she found out in November 2023 that the cancer spread to her bones. The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum continues to share weekly health updates via her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast.
“I’m not gonna say what it is, I’m on a new cancer infusion, and after four treatments, we didn’t really see a difference and everybody wanted me to switch, and I just kinda was like, ‘We’re gonna keep going with this and see,’” Doherty said during a January episode, speaking with her radiation oncologist Dr. Amin Mirhadi. “And yeah, after the sixth or seventh treatment, we really saw it breaking down the blood-brain barrier. For me, that happens to be a miracle right now. That I sort of rolled the dice and said, ‘Let’s keep going.’”
