THE TIMES: Where is Kate? The royal family attracts more speculation by the day

[TallerSally]

On today's front page, the Times' Kate Mansey reports on the contrasting approaches taken by KP and BP's comms teams in their handling of the extraordinary situation the RF's currently in. It kicks off with the current host of the US's Daily Show (formerly hosted by the formidable Jon Stewart) asking some questions:

"While the King hosted friends and met world leaders, the Palace’s reluctance to comment on the Princess of Wales’s condition has created a rising sense of panic
One of America’s most popular TV comedy programmes was asking the question that had captured the nation. It was not about the Super Tuesday primary contests ahead of the US elections, or the State of the Union address, which elicited an exaggerated yawn from the presenter.

Instead, The Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng turned to look straight into the camera to ask: “Where is Kate Middleton? Where are you, Kate?”

There was no rush to provide reassurance this week from the Prince of Wales, who appeared to begin his working week on Friday with a visit to the Oval cricket ground for his Earthshot environmental campaign. Aides said that William had been busy all week, just not in a way that was visible to the public.

The King was doing the opposite. Away from public duties on doctors’ orders while he undergoes cancer treatment, the monarch had been expected to take this week as scheduled time off. Despite being told to “slow down” by the Queen, who took her own advice and flew to sunnier climes for a few days of relaxation, the King was ramping up.

He was photographed meeting world leaders and ambassadors from his living room at Buckingham Palace. Away from the cameras, he hosted friends who rallied round for afternoon tea and dinner dates. He insisted on the “more public” option of travelling between Buckingham Palace and his more comfortable private quarters at Clarence House in the State Bentley, so that he could “be seen”. Quite what the Queen made of it all from her sun lounger is anyone’s guess, but there are those in the palace who have an idea."

A tongue-in-cheek piece, but raises some interesting questions: have KP messed up the comms around Kate? and William? What is really going on with them? Why is the Royal family-funding public kept in the dark for so long, when usually not a couple of days go by without us having some nicely staged photo of some kind from Kensington Palace?

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/where-is-kate-prince-william-king-charles-cancer-khktpx9bm

Maybe. Maybe she looks at her sister and wishes she, and her children, had more freedom too. She made her choice to be with William when she was young and influenced heavily by her mother. I’d probably be frustrated too if I couldn’t influence what schools my children went to.

This is going to be an unpopular opinion but I'm baffled at all the people who believe the whole drama is pregnancy related. Firstly, she's 42 and all outward indications imply that their family is complete.

A significant number of women have experienced miscarriage or baby loss, including surgery afterwards. It's upsetting and traumatising but virtually every woman picks themself up and manages to get on with their life. Taking 3 entire months off work for a miscarriage is unheard of. Even more so in the context of being 42 and already having 3 children.

It feels almost irksome when a woman's value and "capacity for receiving empathy" is constantly reduced to their reproductive organs. In a bad movie script, only something like losing a baby seems to justify an emotional crisis big enough to warrant months off work and disappearing from the public eye. In reality, there are women dealing with that every day, returning to work a day after having a D&C or miscarrying secretly while still doing all their everyday errands, chores and childcare. Similarly, there are hundreds of other medical procedures that are just as distressing, probably more, than losing part of a reproductive organ at an age when you're already nearing menopause.

However it seems like no woman can escape the trap of only being a deserving patient if they exude the vulnerability of pregnancy.

But they have said. They said she has had an operation (major abdominal surgery so not even that vague) and would be taking time off till Easter. It is not yet Easter so that’s where she is. It is not rocket science. What more info does anyone need?

Well she’s clearly not ok. She’s unfortunately been unwell enough to need surgery serious enough to keep her in hospital for a fortnight and off work for several months. Given she’s still young and has a young family that’s going to have been extremely distressing and worrying for the family. As a social being, who is a mother and who has empathy, I hope she has an uneventful recovery and I find the constant speculation and rumour mongering abhorrent and a sad indictment of what our society has become.

@JaneAustensHeroine It really is a gilded cage. I could be way off the mark but for no updates to be given on her progress is a bit odd x

@DaBlackCatsAreDaBestCats As a previous poster said though, this could be W & K asserting a boundary between what they consider as their personal and working lives. Drawing a new line in the sand for the RF which differs from that of Elizabeth or Charles. They want to be in control of their future life and what it looks like. No better place to start than when one of them experiences ill health. They are preparing the media and the public for a new kind of RF safe in the knowledge that a good proportion of the public will accept anything they do and others simply don’t care.

I think no updates is fine and in line with what was said way back when in January.

I also think William is very much setting out how things are going to be in the future - he has said before if you give the press an inch . . .

In my opinion all this drama and speculation has been driven largely by the press who are v pissed off that it becoming clear that William will not be told what to do by them.

The Palace are doing well not taking the bait.

The Wales’ may be trying to reset their relationship with the media. More privacy, less hassle.

The couple might slightly have overdone it at this point - the longer K stays pointedly under wraps, the more genuine the fears will grow. Three months is a long time to recuperate for anything.

Especially when us public are used to being thrown out still bleeding by the NHS and called into work on Monday.

To the people shaming others for asking questions- would you say the same thing if we were discussing a non-royal mother of three young kids whom nobody had seen since christmas? What if you noticed that no family members or friends had even been seen visiting her? I guess you'd just mind your own business?

Weirdly (this is according to the radio news on the day Kate was listed as due to be present), Charles's name was given the ok to be left in but Kate's was required to be removed. There was a very specific point made about the difference between the two.

@Pluralism presumably she has been seen by her family. If it was nosey people at the school gate - I would tell them to mind their own business.

I mean I get it, we all love the drama to quote Gavin's mum from Gavin and Stacey but we know we are not entitled to know the private medical business of others.

Personally I don't shame people for being curious, most of us are but there is a difference between wondering what is wrong and hoping she is ok and demanding information which she has clearly decided she doesn't want to share.

I also think people forget what happened when she was in hospital when ill when pregnant with George.

I can't imagine how terrified she must be that her private medical info will leak. I mean I have seen numerous people on mn say that they know for a fact what surgery she has had because a mate/relative works at the London clinic.

This.

Good PR should be about reading the room, and controlling the narrative.

I think KP really underestimated the interest the public has in more transparency - not private medical details, of course no-one expects that, but clearly their approach, particularly in contrast to that taken by BP (who have seized the opportunity to make almost a public health teaching moment out of King Charles' prostate cancer) has been found to be grossly inadequate.

It's not really rocket science to anticipate that going from feeding the public with a near-daily diet of carefully staged photos of Kate to blank radio silence for months on end, while barking "WE SAID NO COMMENT" at anyone asking a question, was just not going to fly...

@TallerSally umm how do you know Charles has prostate cancer? As far as I am aware he has decided to keep the type of cancer he has private as is his right.

You know just how Kate has decided to keep her medical stuff private

I guess they've all been wearing their invisibility cloaks while visiting her then! Either that or we suddenly have some very obedient photographers in the UK! Couldn't care less about the ins and outs of her medical records, personally, any more than I would a mum at the school gates.

I had a ruptured ectopic and needed a blood transfusion. I was only in hospital for a week and certainly did not need months and months to recover

I think we all know the Middletons are v close. It is bizarre to me that people think they haven't regularly been visiting Kate.

But everyone is entitled to their opinion obviously.

It was about two different events.

Catherine’s was the (smaller) trooping the colour/troop review the week before the main event. They never confirm which senior royals will be at that one, or the first one the week before that, until much closer to the time. Even though the honorary military appointments usually make it known who the ‘main’ one will be.

The Trooping the Colour that Charles is listed for is the main Sovereigns birthday parade one so it’s obvious he will be there as it’s his parade and he’ll be listed as attending even if there’s any doubt. That one is a bit like confirming the monarch will be at the royal Christmas - it goes without saying.

I find all the speculation really, really distasteful. It is either driven by greed (column inches and air-time), pure nosiness, complete thoughtlessness, jealousy or spite.

Where is common decency? Where is common courtesy? Many, many people prefer to keep medical matters private, so it is not hard to comprehend. The PR was very clear. Why does anyone feel they are entitled to more information. Why?! Is there not enough going on in their own lives, so they need to hound others on something that is none of their business? Have they had an empathy bypass?

This person has been under enormous scrutiny for years and has always performed her duty faultlessly - perhaps through pain, certainly through emotional family turmoil & grief. She has 3 young children. Everyone has been notified that it is private and when Kate will return. Which part of that is so hard to respect?

I haven’t read the whole thread, but from reading various gossip pages I have came across lots of theories. Obviously until an announcement is made, it’s all speculation though & none of us really know the truth & we may never.

Nobody is asking for photos and an interview from her sickbed plus a copy of her medical records, just confirmation (or a loose pointer) as to the issue and recovery timescale.

I have good news - maybe you missed it but it's been confirmed that the issue is abdominal surgery and the recovery timescale is back to work after Easter 👍

Someone else on social media put it well: The Royal Family is nothing if it is not honouring the everyday work of ordinary people; and William hasn’t realised that.

He wants the BAFTAs, but not opening the new cancer ward in a hospital in Leicester. Didn’t even attend the Women’s World Cup Final.

I don’t like him - boring bald over-pampered snob - but actually feel very sorry for him. So much trauma in his life, so little genuine agency, surrounded at all turns by sycophants, backbiting courtiers, and people more clever than him.

When I see grown women in the RF take offence at the earrings (or whatever) worn by other grown women, I can’t help but think it’s all just a neurotic chicken coop. Meanwhile they must see their aristocratic chums living the life and of absolute Reilly. Awful existence, funded at the margins by all sorts of shady behaviour.

People who live and work around Windsor and the children's haven't gossiped which is lovely.

I think if people want William to open hospital wards in Leicester in the future they are going to be disappointed. He has made it clear he will focus on a few big projects.

And utilise social media more to showcase said projects.

I personally think that's the right approach. I mean the younger generations are not going to line up to see some ancient royal open a community centre. Times are different to when the late Queen made her statement about the importance of being seen.

Yes, but for years and years they’ve used the media to stoke our interest, and the Firm on the road.

So many public engagements are nothing more than maintaining their own PR profile.