From Princess Diana to Princess Catherine, our fascination with royal women has always been and continues to be overwhelming and pervasive. Surprisingly, the same cannot be said for royal men, as evidenced by recent health developments within the royal family.
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Since January, Kate Middleton was noticeably absent (as she said – we'll talk about that in a minute) after undergo abdominal surgery. In the meantime, King Charles underwent treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. And yet, the attention paid to the details of Princess Catherine's surgery – to the timing and length of her recovery and what should “really happen with her” –far this trumps anything directed against the ruling monarch due to their potentially life-threatening – and monarchy-shattering – condition.
Let's be clear: this is not a health competition. Our hearts and wishes for a speedy recovery go out to both members of the royal family. But why was there such frenzied obsession among the public and the media to find out where the Princess of Wales is and if she Really had abdominal surgery or was it something else entirely? The rumors range from stupid to downright ridiculous (the princess didn't actually die secretly while a particularly worrying Internet theory would have us believe).
This obsession with the absence of Princess Catherine leaves us with an uncomfortable feeling of nostalgia as we remember the public and media treatment of Meghan Markle in recent years (she shared her mental health struggles following misplaced rumors and scrutiny of his every move) and Princess Diana as well.
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Maybe the need to know All about these royal women (although we don't really care where Prince William is on a given day), this is because we can more easily identify with them. After all, Charles was born to be king – Diana (and later Camilla) was only royal by marriage. Same for Kate with William and Meghan with Harry. These women are “common women”, plucked from “obscurity” (despite belonging to an elite group of upper class members) to become royalty. It’s every kid’s fantasy, right? Every millennial has grown up with a barrage of Disney films challenging us to dream of one day meeting a prince and becoming royalty ourselves. Kate, Diana, Camilla, Meghan: they all made this dream come true. Or maybe it's just a fact that our obsession with female celebrity is infinitely greater than that with male celebrity.
Either way, we need to leave Kate Middleton alone.
I'm not saying we shouldn't cover every royal appearance, salute every royal fashion choice, or dissect every royal kiss and handshake. (That's how I make my living, after all.) These are public figures, extremely famous people who find themselves receive taxpayers' money…and their lives are therefore of interest to the general public. But in this case, while the Princess of Wales has made it clear that she will stay out of the spotlight for several weeks while she recovers at home, it seems we should have the decency to allow her to do so without resort to hyperbolic theories. and rumors.
After its unexpected operation, Kensington Palace made a public statement asking for such decency, writing: “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normalcy as possible for her children; and his wish that his personal medical information remain private.
But this desire for a modicum of privacy has only contributed to a tsunami of theories about his fate and condition. This, although the statement was also very clear: “Based on current medical advice, it is unlikely that she will return to public duties before Easter. » And while I'm no Christian calendar expert, a simple Google search reveals that Easter hasn't arrived yet. And yet, the rumors and questions persist.
They persist so much that again this week, a representative of the princess I had to clarify in a statement to E! News“Kensington Palace made clear in January the timetable for the Princess' recovery and we would only provide meaningful updates. This guidance is valid. Ouch. Pretty blunt but… can you blame them?
While fully acknowledging that Kate Middleton did not ask this cis-male writer to come to her defense, I feel like we've reached a point where enough is enough. Can everyone leave poor Kate Middleton alone? Can't we let her recover in peace, as she asked us? She generously shared every moment of her adult existence with the public…his court, his wedding, her pregnancies. Don't we owe him this momentary intimacy in return?
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And if as some rumors claim, she struggles with mental health issues (as Meghan and Diana both did), and all the speculation certainly isn't helping her mental well-being. Even writing this, I feel disgusted, seemingly giving power and credence to the rumors in my attempt to condemn them. (What's a royal reporter to do?)
Perhaps in time, Princess Catherine will talk about her months away from the spotlight. Or maybe not. But as so-called royal fans, shouldn't we offer her something more than our “well wishes” while furiously searching the internet for theories? Maybe we could just give him a break. At least until Easter.
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