Kate Middleton's Personal Decision to Announce Cancer News Wasn't Sparked by Trolls Online

Sources point out the Princess of Wales chose a time to that was right for her, Prince William and their three children

Kate Middleton announced her cancer news in her own time.

The Princess of Wales, 42, has been out of the public eye since Christmas as she recovered from an abdominal surgery that took place in January. Despite Kensington Palace announcing that she was not expected to return to public duties until "after Easter," conspiracy theories and rumors circulated online concerning her health and whereabouts. This gossip was fueled further by Prince William's last-minute withdrawal from a memorial service honoring his late godfather due to a personal matter on February 27 and the U.K. Mother's Day photo of Princess Kate with her children released on March 10 that was pulled for suspicions of manipulation.

Despite trolls claiming everything from Kate using a body double when a video surfaced of the Prince and Princess of Wales at a Windsor farm shop to other instances of photo manipulation, the online rumors did not spark the royal's decision to speak out about her cancer treatment.

Sources point out that it was Princess Kate's personal choice in deciding when she would publicly share the information, at a time that was right for her, Prince William and their three children. Those close to the family say that every decision they've made is to protect Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis during this difficult time.

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The Princess of Wales may have chosen Friday to publicly release her health news as it was the first day of her kids' school break for the Easter holiday. With George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Louis, 5, not heading back to the classroom until mid-April, the family will have the next few weeks together to privately cope.

Tessy Ojo, the chief executive of the Diana Award who has worked with Prince William on cyberbullying initiatives and recently attended an event with him on March 14, tells PEOPLE, "It makes it even sadder as it took place against the backdrop of all the conspiracy theories of the past few weeks. It reinforces of the danger of the society we live in where rumors get picked up and almost become a false reality."

Praising the couple's decision to wait until George, Charlotte and Louis were on a school vacation, Ojo says that William "understands the power of the internet, which can be quite destructive, especially for young children. I know he has the tools to protect the children, particularly Prince George. They can lean in as a family without the external noise. She has a great family, and I have no worries."

She adds, "I would love for the public to learn from this and make people stop and think. When we think because they are public figures that we have every right to know the ins and outs and everything. I would hope this will teach us something as a public, that people should respect privacy and that people have private lives and that we don't have to know everything. The least we can do is show kindness."

Related: Prince William Will 'Be the Anchor for His Children’ amid Kate Middleton’s Cancer Treatment (Exclusive)

Kate directly addressed the impact of her health news on her family in the personal video message she released on Friday. She said, "William 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 from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok," she said. "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."

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The royal mom also kept Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in mind when Kensington Palace first announced that she had undergone abdominal surgery in a statement released on January 17.

"The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private," they said.

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