CBS plays Kate Middleton's cancer announcement during March Madness coverage

CBS took a few minutes during a commercial break of its March Madness coverage on Friday to air Kate Middleton announcing her cancer diagnosis. The breaking news occurred during a long timeout in the Northwestern versus Florida Atlantic game.

Middleton, 42, has been the Princess of Wales since 2011 when she married Prince William and is among the people's favorite of the royal family. Her recent absence from the public eye drew widespread concern.

Norah O'Donnell of CBS appeared on screen during the NCAA Tournament commercial break to announce Middleton's diagnosis. There was no game action missed.

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

Northwestern defeats Florida Atlantic in OT

The breaking news snippet occurred around the five-minute mark of the second half with Florida Atlantic in the lead.

Northwestern managed to force overtime as Florida Atlantic muffed the final possession with a poor shot selection from beyond the arc.

Florida Atlantic was then outscored 7-19 in OT to suffer a first-round elimination after reaching the Final Four in last year's NCAA Tournament.

Middleton's cancer announcement video was not played in its entirety. She went on to explain how this has made her want to help children suffering the same fate.