so am I "lesser" by default, or "greater" cos I've done more than peer out of a window?

PS royals don't work. Getting dressed up, often in uniforms covered in medals they have not earned, smiling and waving is not work.

And she was having a dig at us, she literally called us "lesser mortals

I spend my days treating "lesser mortals" like you and have seen first hand the effects of chemo, radiotherapy, hair loss, loss of identity and the millions of other things you are going through every day for the last 20-odd years.
You are not lesser than someone who leads a pampered life and is not ever going to be confronted by the reality of having to build back a life, work, deal with family without a bunch of sycophants around them. As an oncologist and as someone who had cancer, you are not the lesser mortals. The lesser mortal is the one who realised the self indulgent twaddle Friday just in time to be headline news at 6pm.

Just keep plodding on and know that you are a bloody hero to people like me.

I had cancer and I’m not offended by that. I continued to work throughout my 6 months of chemo but I’m glad I could do that in the privacy of my own home. If I felt crap I could stay in my pjs. But Cathrine has the eyes of the world on her, having cancer is hard enough without everyone making comments about how she looks etc.

I have had cancer and think it a total overreaction. I don’t think it is understandable to be rattled by it.

I don't have cancer and I don't think it's an overreaction. I think it would be totally understandable to be rattled by that kind of comment.

Same difference at this point quite honestly - it’s gone downhill massively in the last 10-15 years.

It’s crappy journo speak with a side of royal bum licking.

I am sorry for what you're going through. I have had the same cancer twice in 12 years and I am currently in recovery from a bone marrow transplant to hopefully prevent it from reoccurring again. I'm not offended by this journalist. It's just journo speak and because Catherine is in the public eye. He and the rest of society certainly aren't calling us lesser mortals. It's thoughtless but try not to let it affect you. I think of myself, you and other cancer survivors as very strong.

I literally just got a notification that Narinder Kaur has posted this on Twitter describing it s a disgusting thing to say. She has over 24000 followers 😉

@Wimbledonmum1985 except for the writer of course.

Oof, it's a real kicker of an article. So insidious.

On the one hand, she is praising Catherine for not being at home tucked up in her 'jim jams' (like all you 'lesser mortals').

Then in the next paragraph she is sticking the boot in - saying the illness has 'definitely taken its toll' , the POW is 'more slender' (eg very thin) with 'heavier make-up than usual'. Meow.

And then, most hilariously, making the whole spectacle somehow Meghan's fault "Particular spite has come from the Sussex camp"

The only spiteful one here sounds like Pearson herself. What a sneery and unpleasant article.

Totally agree. Complete overreaction. Move on and get on with your day. Nobody thinks you, or indeed any of us who’ve gone through cancer, is less than Catherine.

I've just looked that up, that sounds unbearably tough to cope with for you and your son and I am so sorry you have had stupid comments like that. I hope you are finding places and people that understand and offer support xx

Horrific thing to write.

horrific especially as it’s directed to those with cancer, and generally horrible because none of us are lesser just because we are not royalty.

Well yes, but the other difference of course is that she knows she will have access to the best treatment money can buy and that she didn't have to go on a waiting list. So they were two worries she didn't have.

OP I agree with you 💐

I'm so sorry about this, and you are 100% correct.

What a shitty, shitty thing to write.

It's a strangely worded article because who else is in her position? Apart from King Charles. Most people wouldn't attend the trooping of the colour anyway, whether they had cancer or not. So you can't really use it as a comparison.

The goal of newspaper columnists these days is to be goady and post strong opinions on shit so that they can make more money and develop a name for themselves.
Its The Telegraph- of course they were going to be OTT about Catherine’s return even if it’s only to relieve themselves of the guilt of bring swept up in the rumours during her absence.
Catherine’s return is a good thing but her journey with cancer will look different because of her unique circumstances and nobody is going to know what that’s like so journalists discussing that is pretty pointless.

Indeed Cassandra. My son has a plexiform fibroma on his spine and lung but as an old teacher said least it's not cancer.

The main comment made me cringe yesterday was Bravest Woman in the World ...

Exactly.

Also, "at least it's not cancer" when said to people with equally devastating and debilitating conditions

People are so often just not rational or fair around illness and it is really frustrating.

She explicitly mentions cancer patients, she isn't talking about people who don't go to work because they're a bit poorly.

"Two words: Thank you. Thank you Princess of Wales for being an absolute trouper and attending Trooping the Colour on a cold, grey day when lesser mortals with your illness would have stayed home, tucked up in their jim-jams".

I thought OP was perhaps being a bit unreasonable, that it was just a tactless headline/sub heading (as they aren't written by the journalist) but then I read the whole piece and I'm not surprised that the OP (and others) might be upset.

I’ve delivered food bank parcels to women who cannot work due to a cancer diagnosis. They’re on zero hours contracts and have to wait 5 weeks for the dwp to decide whether they’re entitled to any benefits. Most people undergoing chemo are in full time work for as much time as is humanly possible.

yes it’s terrible that Kate has cancer but it’s far, far more terrible for almost everyone else. There’s nothing heroic about standing on a fecking balcony and to imply that she’s done something that other cancer sufferers could not do it fucking offensive.

It’s similar to the discourse about “fighting” cancer, as though dying is a character flaw.

People get sick. Some people get sicker than others.

Absolutely ridiculous thing to put in a paper, and unnecessary.

I will say though, those of you who do get to go to work, aren't about to be subject to the worlds press and the eyes of millions looking for every tiny crack or flaw in the façade of being 'well enough' to do what you're doing.

I understand your point, but I think it's more a way to try to stress how hard it is to go through the entire process, it is a battle. No one knows how hard it is until they go through with it, but I don't think people believe you die because you don't fight hard enough, that's not the idea.