Sir Keir Starmer has slammed the "lurid speculation" of Catherine Princess of Wales' whereabouts that took place online prior to her cancer diagnosis announcement

But the princess was at the centre of the 'Where is Kate?' social media storm and now Labour party leader Keir, 61, has blasted the online speculation as he sent his "very best wishes" to Catherine.

He said: "On behalf of the whole Labour Party, I want to send my very best wishes to Her Royal Highness at this distressing time. Our thoughts are with the whole Royal Family as they come to terms with the news and as they support The Princess of Wales through her treatment and recovery.

"Any cancer diagnosis is shocking. But I can only imagine the added stress of receiving that news amid the lurid speculation we've seen in recent weeks. Their Royal Highnesses are entitled to privacy and, like any parents, will have waited to choose the right moment to tell their children."

Catherine announced her diagnosis with a televised address and Sir Keir noted that he was "heartened" by her optimism and ensured her that the "whole nation" will be supportive of her as she continues her treatment,

He added: "I am heartened by The Princess of Wales' optimistic tone and her message of faith and hope. Her Royal Highness will be in our thoughts and prayers as she progresses through her treatment with the love and support of not just her whole family, but the whole nation too."

In her initial statement, Catherine, revealed that the cancer had been discovered following her abdominal surgery and that it came as a "huge shock" but she and her husband are doing "everything they can" to deal with the news.

She said: "I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I've been recovering from surgery. It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family. But I've had a fantastic medical team who've taken great care of me for which I'm so grateful.

"In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London. And at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.

"The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation on cancer had been present.

"This of course, came as a huge shock. And Wiliam and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.

"As you can imagine, this has taken time, it has taken me time to recover for major surgery in order to start my treatment."