Celebrity

Shannen Doherty praises Kate Middleton's 'strength' following cancer diagnosis

"We all have the right to go through illness or life privately," said Doherty, who is also battling cancer.

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Published on March 23, 2024 06:07PM EDT

Shannen Doherty is showing support for Kate Middleton after the princess' recent cancer diagnosis.

The Charmed actress, who is battling stage 4 cancer, praised the Princess of Wales for her “strength” and slammed those who spread conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts online in a statement posted on her Instagram account on Friday.

“Being a public figure does not mean the public owns that person,” Doherty began. “We ALL have the right to go through illness or life privately.”

She continued, "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 privacy or [sic] others, regardless of being in the public eye.”

Shannen Doherty and Kate Middleton — Shannen Doherty; Kate Middleton.
Getty

Doherty concluded her note with a personal message to Middleton, writing, “And Princess Kate, I admire your strength through the endless onslaught you've been under while going through cancer.”

After weeks of online speculation about her health and whereabouts, Middleton announced in a video message on Friday that she had begun chemotherapy after undergoing major abdominal surgery in January and discovered she had cancer. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy,” she explained, “and I'm now in the early stages of that treatment.”

The royal added that she is “well and getting stronger every day” and that having her husband, Prince William, by her side "is a great source of comfort and reassurance, too.”

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

She concluded her video with a message for those who have personally dealt with the disease. "At this time I'm also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer," she said. "For everyone facing this disease in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone."

Doherty was first treated for breast cancer in 2015 and went into remission after undergoing a single mastectomy and chemotherapy. However, she announced that the cancer had returned as stage 4 in 2019 and then, last November, she shared that it had progressed to her bones.

"I’m not done with living," she told PEOPLE at the time. "I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better. I’m just not — I’m not done."

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