William just pulled out of event due to personal reasons

[Kenthighst]

https://news.sky.com/story/prince-of-wales-pulls-out-of-memorial-service-due-to-personal-matter-13081984

if it was a stomach upset they would have said that! Or some vague flannel like 'taken ill unexpectedly with what looks like a common seasonal bug'. The way they announced it was odd, it just looks strange and abrupt, especially if he was giving the reading.

It’s possible the palace flunkies don’t know the reason themselves.

What would happen in the worst case scenario, if Charles were not to survive his illness, and William also passed before George was 18? I realise how morbid this sounds, and I really don't think William is ill, but I am genuinely interested, anyone know what the arrangements are? I know a Regency act was passed when Charles was a little boy, naming Prince Philip as regent, so they obviously do have to plan for this in hereditary monarchies.

I do think mental health reasons, I’m sure the stress is taking its toll.

If it was any other illness they would have jumped at the chance to say he was ill. They knew ‘personal reasons’ would invite lots of speculation. ‘They’ being the press office.

I think this matches up to him being seen driving away. He probably thought he was up to it right until the last hour or so before. If he was ill there would have been more notice and even if not they would have still have said he was suddenly unwell.

Are we still accepting speculations?
Could it be that some distant relative was going to be there and embarrass him.
Drunken male cousin with brandy flask, female coz wanting to shower him with sloppy kisses?

I think if it was something like the shits they’d have known well before an hour before hand, so it was something unexpected and serious.

unlikely to be the kids, as they have a very capable nanny and extended family. Which makes me think it’s Kate.

im starting to find it a bit odd, she’s isn’t putting out any statements herself , and no pics of her sitting dressed at home, working on correspondence or something and recuperating at home, you know like we saw of Charles and rishi. Maybe a little video statement saying thanks for the well wishes. The look all is well pr thing. It’s radio silence., other than she’s recovering well from the palace.

im starting to suspect there is something very seriously wrong here.

QE2 might have personally valued privacy but it was under her reign that all manner of tacky publicity happened on the instigation of her kids like it’s a royal knockout etc. Like Diana, you can’t use the press when you want and then complain when you get burnt by them

im starting to find it a bit odd, she’s isn’t putting out any statements herself , and no pics of her sitting dressed at home, working on correspondence or something and recuperating at home, you know like we saw of Charles and rishi. Maybe a little video statement saying thanks for the well wishes. The look all is well pr thing. It’s radio silence., other than she’s recovering well from the palace

We were told at the outset that she would be out of action / not in public until after Easter. And that we wouldnt get regulsr updates. This was before any surgery. And that is exactly what is happening. Its completely unsurprising.

And why should be be seen "working" via photos and videos? No one else would be expected to do this when on sick leave from their job.

In my view the media know the reason but are not reporting it. This does sometimes happen, especially where children or mental health issues are involved. I was slightly involved in a situation years ago involving a child of a former prime minister. It went largely unreported in the press due to the sensitivities involved, and rightly so.

I don’t think William hates the press, I think he views them much more dispassionately than that . He knows that they are a necessary evil but he also knows that if you give an inch they will take a mile. So he’s putting down boundaries and holding to them. He has three children who will likely still be teenagers /young adults when he comes to the thrones and he will want to make sure that their privacy is respected.

He is not going to want what is happening to Leonor in Spain or Amalia in the Netherlands to happen particularly to Charlotte . The Crown Princess of Belgium is currently at Oxford and is getting unwanted press attention about a relationship she may or may not being having with a fellow student from Rochdale . William knows you have to hold the line from day one.

I think you have a point here. His grandparents lived well into their nineties so I expect he thought maybe he had another 15 or 20 years until he takes over the reigns.
It could be that he is aware he will be stepping up a lot sooner & the kids will only be in their teens.

I think there was a last minute bust-up where he probably went "Fuck it, I can't do this!" and all the flunkies scrabbling around trying to figure out what to do. They probably didn't have time to go over the PR statement or he wasn't in the mood to cooperate. Hence they had to release the vaguest statement possible which they knew would be a PR disaster but it won't make the situation worse from inside KP. If they released more details like an illness, or something with the kids, then they would have been in much deeper shit.

If he had a panic attack but still WANTED to give the reading, he could easily have popped a Xanax and just gone through with it. Bear in mind the Royals have been trained from the day they were born to sit through public events under intense scrutiny so it's not comparable to the stage fright a normal person might have at giving a reading at a big gathering. They will also have an arsenal of medications and tricks to keep potential health issues under wraps during events.

Like I said earlier, it feels like the beginning of a much bigger story and there could be major changes happening this year.

I was wondering this the other day. Would Kate be Regent? Would Anne somehow fill the gap until George is 18? In which case poor George wouldn't even be able to go to University or have any sort of normal life.

I agree that he wants to hold the line but I don't ever remember a situation where the Queen pulled out from an event at the last minute without a reason being given.

im starting to find it a bit odd, she’s isn’t putting out any statements herself , and no pics of her sitting dressed at home, working on correspondence or something and recuperating at home, you know like we saw of Charles and rishi. Maybe a little video statement saying thanks for the well wishes. The look all is well pr thing. It’s radio silence., other than she’s recovering well from the palace.

My thoughts too which is why I'm leaning towards Kate being fed up of everything and probably looking for a way out. She's always been incredibly aware of what the public wants. She gives just enough to satisfy the press such as photos she took of her kids, posing in front of the hospital etc. They have their own social media account and use it extremely effectively. A single pic of her recovering with a statement is a logical "soft launch" back into her first working appearance after Easter.

However the massive blackout suggests she really isn't well or (I think) she's taking medication which means a photo won't be flattering and more likely to trigger a shitstorm.

@cyclamenqueen - it is possible to both hate the press (I think both brothers do) and a take a dispassionate view on how best to manage future family privacy issues (they've done differently, but each will have chosen depending on what is right for them ad their families)

@AInightingale - the Regency Act means that the person who would rule until a child heir reached 18 would be the next person over age of 21 in the succession. But it can't be Harry as he is living happily overseas with his family.

Next are three non-working Royals, Andrew (unacceptable), Beatrice and Eugenie. Then Edward (offspring still too young to be potential regents) then Anne.

So Parliament would need to depart from that. Best case scenario is that all the Counsellors of State petition Parliament to install Anne and Edward as a Co-Regency, with Catherine having guardianship and full responsibility for his upbringing and education

(Edited to make it a bit clearer - I hope - about what Edwards's DC are too young for)

Maybe Xmas at Sandringham with all the attendant stress and strain was the last straw. She's used to it, but as her kids get older the pressure on them must be a pressure for her too. It must sting to see Harry walk away from everything and be able to say and do what he likes without ever having to do another public engagement. His kids get to live a relatively normal life compared to the Wales'. It must be a bitter pill to swallow when they've both always tried to do the right thing.

I just don't think Pippa would be holidaying in the Caribbean looking very happy if that were the case.

My aunt recently had to do a Covid test ahead of a hospital visit and was astounded when it was positive. She was then in a complete flurry of changing plans, whilst feeling completely well.

If a perfectly well William tested positive, he'd have had to cancel given that e.g. Princess Alexandra was there and is frail. And it might not be clear whether he'd also have to isolate from Kate.

I'm guessing the RF have a constant Plan B ready in case of Covid and it wouldn't be the confusion and hasty rearranging following my aunt's positive?

I disagree, I think that absolutely she would continue as normal to the to give an image or normalcy. Things being worse doesn’t mean she’s at deaths door and there is little she can do. A week abroad that was planned, would give a public image that all is well.

The surgery came as a surprise for the public but Pippa has probably been long aware of whatever health condition she has. She was presumably around to support Kate during the immediate surgery and aftermath but it wouldn't be a reason to cancel a holiday during a sibling's long convalescence period. Similarly, whatever other issues are coming up now, Pippa has known about them for ages. So the drama won't be affecting her quite the same way as the media and public.

Nah, he’d know he had covid long before an hour before hand and they’d just say.

In that case they surely would just say covid, because that's boringly normal and wouldn't have resulted in an online frenzy.

A single pic of her recovering with a statement is a logical "soft launch" back into her first working appearance after Easter.

Well, we've had a statement (presumably an extra one, only issued because of William's unexpected absence) and my prediction is there will be another statement in the run up to Easter (when they want to start putting things in her diary) but the first time we see her will be going to church on Easter Sunday

I think she is doing the right thing in sticking to what was said at the outset

I doubt they’ve even told their own spokespeople what is happening, hence the hurried and unexpected statement about Kate.

William, quite obviously dislikes the press and distrusts palace staff, making of difficult for press releases to be cohesive.

Add to that that William himself seems ‘difficult’, imo the need for privacy is more akin to secrecy.