The Prince and Princess of Wales shared that they were "enormously touched" at the outpouring of support their family has received since the revelation that Catherine is currently undergoing preventative cancer treatment, following a planned abdominal surgery in January.

The couple are "enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness' message," a Kensington Palace spokesperson said on Saturday.

Catherine, 42, shared her diagnosis in a Friday video message. The princess and her medical team initially believed that her medical condition was non-cancerous but subsequent tests "found that 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," Catherine said in the video.

For weeks, the princess was subject to an increasingly dramatic social media frenzy after she all but disappeared from the public eye after Christmas. This speculation was heightened when Kensington Palace released a digitally altered photo of Catherine and her three children on Mother's Day - prompting several international news agencies to issue kill orders and refuse to run the photos.

William and Catherine reportedly waited until now to reveal the diagnosis, in part because it coincided with their children's Easter vacation. The family is not expected to be seen in public until Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis return to school in mid-April.

William and Catherine's desire for privacy was reiterated in the Saturday Kensington Palace statement.

"They are extremely moved by the public's warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time," the palace spokesperson said.