If you’ve been anywhere on social media this year, you’ve probably seen posts about Catherine, the Princess of Wales. Kate has not been seen all year following a planned surgery, which led the public to speculate about her wellbeing.
On March 22, Catherine posted on her and Prince William’s shared Instagram account announcing that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
The media has since scolded the public, with the Atlantic even publishing a piece headlined “I Hope You All Feel Terrible Now.”
However, I don’t think it’s fair to blame the public for the absolute mess this story became.
In order to get an idea of how we got here, let’s start from the beginning.
Kate had not been seen since Christmas Day, when members of the royal family walked to church together from Sandringham Estate, where they all typically spend the holidays.
On Jan. 17, Kensington Palace announced that Kate had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery” the day prior. The announcement stated that she was unlikely to return to her official duties until after Easter.
The same day, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III would be undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.
It’s important to note that the royal family does not have a united communications team. The King and Queen Camilla’s team is under Buckingham Palace, while William and Kate’s team operates under Kensington Palace.
While there was one more announcement about Kate leaving the hospital to recover at home, this was the last time Kensington Palace said anything about her wellbeing. Without further statements, social media ran with different conspiracies about where Kate could be. These were mostly harmless, with people theorizing she might’ve gotten a Brazilian Butt Lift or was waiting for bad bangs to grow out.
Even the British media was looking for answers, with the Daily Mail posting an article asking William directly for answers about Kate.
This media frenzy gained further traction after William pulled out of a memorial service for his godfather King Constantine of Greece on Feb. 27, nearly less than an hour before it was set to begin.
Sources are now saying that this is when Will found out about Kate’s diagnosis. However, the initial reasoning behind his absence was simply “personal reasons.” With both Charles and Kate taking a step back from royal engagements, having the heir to the throne not present added more fuel to the already growing fire.
On March 10, Will and Kate’s Instagram released a family photo of Kate with her three children in honor of Mother’s Day, which is celebrated in March in the U.K. However, people noticed that there was evidence that the photo had been photoshopped. News outlets like Reuters and AP eventually pulled the photo from publication, saying there was evidence that the “source manipulated the image.”
This only concerned the public further, with rumors spreading that Kate didn’t actually sit for the picture. She later came forward and admitted she edited the photo, even though Will was credited as the photographer.
The same day, British news outlets began posting stories about Lady Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. In 2019, there were rumors that Will had cheated on Kate with Rose, which eventually led Rose to be phased out of Will and Kate’s friend group.
At this point, the media was playing right into the fears and concerns of the public. Articles began circulating about some of these rumors, with one British paper writing a piece on what would happen if William committed a serious crime.
Talking about William’s alleged mistress and hinting that he may have committed a crime did nothing to ease the public about Kate’s condition. However, these are the types of stories that get media outlets engagement.
The rumors from here became more drastic, with people wondering if Kate was even alive. Throughout all of this Kensington Palace kept firm with their stance that they would not be announcing anything further about Kate until there was a significant update.
This takes us to Kate’s announcement about her cancer.
Looking back at Kensington Palace’s statement from January, they made it clear there would only be further updates if and when there was new information to share.
That is exactly what happened.
Kate’s statement isn’t the result of the conspiracies. She wasn’t forced to tell the public about her diagnosis. This announcement was going to come eventually and the timing is strategic.
ET reported that the Wales family has gone to their country home, Adelaide College, during their children’s Easter break so that the family could have privacy as this news hits the public. This announcement was most likely planned around this week-long break so that the family, including the children, could be shielded from the public as the news dropped.
Catherine has every right to process this news with her family privately. However, it’s not the public’s fault for drumming up speculation when Kensington Palace didn’t give enough information about Kate’s wellbeing.
The long-existing PR strategy for the British royal family is “never complain, never explain.” Since the reign of Queen Victoria, members of the royal family never commented on anything unless necessary, and the public was expected to take the palace at its word.
However, we live in a time where the royal family doesn’t hold as much power as they once did, both politically and culturally. It isn’t healthy to take all information at face value, especially in a world full of misinformation.
If you’re wondering if there was a better way for Kensington Palace to handle this situation, look no further than the king.
Charles announced that he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer on Feb. 5. According to his statement, it was discovered when he went in for treatment for his enlarged prostate in January.
However, there hasn’t been nearly as large of a media frenzy over his absence because of the way he and his team have handled it. Charles is still attending engagements and interacting with his subjects. He even was filmed reading get well cards, thanking people for their love and support.
While I don’t think Kate should have to parade herself out for the public, Buckingham Palace’s willingness to give information and explanations prevented further speculation. If Kensington Palace had been less dodgy with Kate’s condition, this media circus never would have happened.
The British media is also at fault here, playing right into the drama, feeding into the rumors for social media engagement. Now, they are trying to pin the blame solely on the public, which isn’t fair.
In a world where the public doesn’t trust the royal family, open communication is going to be key in rebuilding that trust. It might be time for “never complain, never explain” to be phased out as the only PR strategy.
Kensington Palace and the British media both let Kate down massively. The lack of statements from her communications team and the willingness of the media to use these rumors for engagement made a bad situation worse.
Above all, I hope Kate takes this time to recover and spend time with her family. Now that the speculations are put to rest, the public needs to give her and her family the space and privacy to navigate this difficult diagnosis.