Los Angeles, California - Estranged British royal Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle said Friday they wished "health and healing" to Catherine, Princess of Wales, after she revealed she has cancer.

The statement came after Catherine – known widely as Kate – announced Friday that she has cancer and is in the early stages of chemotherapy.

"We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace," said the California-based couple.

The news of Kate's diagnosis comes at a tumultuous time for relations inside Britain's royal family.

Harry and Meghan, known formally as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are no longer working royals, having stepped back from duties amid recriminations over the way they say they were treated.

They moved to California in 2020, where they live in an exclusive enclave outside Santa Barbara, and are now forging their own businesses after being cut off from the royal purse.

Harry, who married former actor Meghan in a fairytale wedding in 2018, was at one time very close to his brother William, but relations have soured in recent years.

The brothers have reportedly not spoken in months after Harry's high-profile public criticism of his family.