Shannen Doherty slammed conspiracy theorists for running wild with ideas about Kate Middleton’s health before her cancer announcement.
“Being a public figure does not mean the public owns that person,” the “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum, who has stage 4 breast cancer and had surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2023, began in an Instagram statement she shared Friday. “We ALL have the right to go through illness or life privately.”
“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,” she continued. “I pray this is a learning moment for us all to respect, privacy or others, regardless of being in the public eye.”
“And Princess Kate,” Doherty, 52, added, “I admire your strength through the endless onslaught you’ve been under while going thru (sic) cancer.”
Conspiracy theories ran rampant following Middleton’s abdominal surgery in January and her lack of public presence after that, with some people even guessing she was in a coma or dealing with infidelity on Prince William’s part.
But on Friday, the 42-year-old Princess of Wales shocked fans when she announced she had started chemotherapy treatments after healing from her surgery.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous. The surgery was successful,” she explained in her video announcement.
“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 am now in the early stages of that
treatment.”
She also thanked fans for their messages of support and asked that she and her family be allowed to handle her health privately.
“As I have said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that
will help me heal, in my mind, body and spirits,” Middleton also noted.
She did not reveal with which type of cancer she has been diagnosed.
Middleton — who shares children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, with William, 41 — was showered with get-well messages following her announcement.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Page Six that King Charles III is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did.” Charles, 75, revealed his own cancer diagnosis in February after undergoing surgery for an enlarged prostate.
More must-see royals coverage:
The spokesperson also said Charles and Queen Camila “will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time.”
Middleton’s estranged brother and sister-in-law, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, also offered words of support, saying, “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”
Blake Lively, meanwhile, offered her most sincere apologies for previously making fun of Middleton’s Photoshop scandal with an ad for her Betty Buzz and Betty Booze products.
“I’m sure no one cares today but I feel like I have to acknowledge this,” the “Gossip Girl” alum, 36, penned on her Instagram Story Friday.
“I made a silly post around the ‘photoshop fails’ frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today,” she added before concluding, “I’m sorry. Sending love and well wishes to all, always.”
