The Royal Family’s used to living life in a fishbowl with constant speculation about their private lives, and lately, it’s been Kate, the Princess of Wales, who has been the one in the harsh glare of the public spotlight.

Commenters online wondering why she hadn’t been seen out and about since her abdominal surgery in January.

But now that Kate has put those questions to rest with her cancer revelation, will it be enough to stop the relentless rumor mill? NBC’s Molly Hunter takes a look in our “Sunday Focus.”

Reporter: After weeks of breathless coverage, the Princess of Wales finally broke her silence on Friday to announce she’s undergoing treatment for cancer.

Kate: “This, of course, came as a huge shock. William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”

The deeply personal video message ending months of questions and speculation about the 42-year-old’s health following planned abdominal surgery back in January.
Kate: “It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family.”

The clamor for information had reached a fever pitch, and without regular updates from Kensington Palace, the information vacuum filled with wild speculation. Last week, the British Prime Minister even intervened, his spokesperson calling on Brits to get behind the Princess of Wales. The leader of the opposition chiming in, too.
Opposition Leader: “I think that we should leave her alone. She deserves privacy.”

And after that digitally altered Mother’s Day photo intended to quell the rumor mill, more questions than answers quickly followed.
Reporter: Fueling even more outlandish conspiracy theories. Prince William in uncharted waters as he tried to protect his family.
Expert: “I think his instinct is to try to keep a lid on things as much as possible. The problem is if you go back to the age of Diana, life was so simple. There was the media. There were the newspapers. There was TV. And there was the Royal Family. There wasn’t this nightmarish social media thing in the middle, which now informs almost everything.”

And the appetite for more details, more information, insatiable. According to UK media reports, three staff members at the London clinic where Kate underwent her surgery were suspended for allegedly trying to access her medical records. “The Sun” published a video of William and Kate out shopping in Windsor, sparking a frenzy the mother of Diana would have been all-too-familiar with.
Expert: “Paparazzi images of William and Kate and their children in particular haven’t really been used in the UK press, and that is largely because of what happened with Diana.”

And despite the respectful deference usually paid to Kate in the British media, the sheer scale of the hysteria in recent months has taken its toll.
Expert: “While all the people I’ve spoken to over the last days made it clear both William and Kate have found the speculation on social media and in parts of the media very, very difficult.”

But now there’s hope that will subside as the British public processes the shocking news the Royal Family now dealing with two major health crises as 75-year-old King Charles continues his own cancer treatment and Kate, emotionally and respectfully, pleading with the press and the public both here and around the world to grant her family privacy.
Kate: “We hope that you’ll understand that as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment.”