The Royal family has been the pinnacle of English culture for a very long time, so when Princess Kate disappeared from the media, it was no surprise people from all around the world were concerned.
The current Royal family has many members but the current biggest figure is King Charles III. The son of Queen Elizabeth gained his crown on September 8th, 2022, when his mother passed. He previously was married to Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997. He later married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. With Princess Diana, King Charles III had two sons, William and Harry. Prince William is first in line to the throne and is married to Kate Middleton with three children. On February 5th, 2024, King Charles III announced he would be stepping down from royal duties while he is being treated for cancer, according to BBC News.
On March 22nd, 2024, Princess Kate announced she was in “the early stages of cancer” in her video published by BBC News. Her statement came after months of speculation about her health and well-being. Kensington Palace announced on January 17th. 2024 that the princess had entered the hospital for her planned abdominal surgery, and she is unlikely to resume her public duties until Easter. While the princess stuck to her plan, people still became suspicious because of her lack of public appearances and went as far as to say that she had gone missing.
Rumors quickly began to gain attention when Prince William canceled his own planned appearance on February 27th of this year. Some people went so far as to say that the princess had been killed and a body double would be taking her place. Others have simpler theories saying something had gone terribly wrong with her health or that she was having marriage issues with her husband. The princess soon proved all these rumors false when she announced that she is currently in the early stages of cancer. She said she is taking time with her family to process and share this information with her children.
The video published by BBC faced some backlash as some people thought it was inappropriate. One British broadcaster said the video was “excessive and insensitive.” In response to the criticism, BBC released a statement saying, “We broadcast in full the highly personal video message from the Princess of Wales, in which she spoke directly to the public about her cancer diagnosis. Our coverage reflected the significance of this story and the outpouring of support for the princess from around the globe. We explained to our audience what was known about Catherine’s condition, but did not speculate on details that had not been made public.” The broadcaster went on to say, “It has been made clear that this is a difficult time for the princess and the rest of the royal family; we have been mindful at all times to approach our coverage with sensitivity.” Even after the BBC released this statement, some people still thought the video was fishy.
Overall, I think it should be said that we need to respect the family’s wishes for privacy and hope she gets the treatment she needs and gets better soon.
