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

@LittleGlowingOblong "I don't like him - boring bald over-pampered snob..."

Do you say this because you know him personally ?

He wants the BAFTAs, but not opening the new cancer ward in a hospital in Leicester.

Is that a hypothetical ward in Leicester or an actual one 🤔

A simple message of thanks would do wonders to stop the chatter.

I have good news for you too - KP has already done this on behalf of the family. Plus William did it in his speech at the BAFTAs I think. How many messages of thanks do you require?

That is potentially a very astute analysis - demanding to see her so that it can be 'wrong'.

Seriously ill? Didn’t they say that it was a routine procedure, nothing serious?

@ChVrches

It was more how he said it and that he looked sad, it seemed out of place.

Anyway, whatever anyone knew we will never be told.

It’s that bad I wish the Sussexes would reform their characters, come back and knuckle down to contributing. As it seems very fragile and reliant on elderly and/or ill people right now.

Hypothetical, sorry!

So you think she’s gone missing? Or is being held prisoner against her will and not allowed visitors? What? What are you implying?

This is perhaps true. Slick social media presentations can seem more style than content, though. Brand is not enough.

Of course he looked sad. His mother had just died and the enormity of his new role must have been hitting him

I agree with this. Its possibly more like Charlene of Monaco and even extended potential timelines can't be fixed.

@smilesy

Obviously.

But I did turn to my husband at the time and say, “I think there’s something wrong with his health”… just the way it sounded to me. All out in the open now.

The need more of the younger gen to step up in place of Harry and to support Wills.

My favourite is that she’s been taken away to be cloned.

It’s not impossible that she’s been abducted by aliens and the RF’s hands are tied…they want to explain but the global powers that be won’t let them. If so, Carole Middleton must be livid being forced to drive around that impersonator when she’s actually frantic with worry not knowing if Kate is languishing in a spaceship somewhere abandoned by her captors.

On the other hand …If she has been kidnapped by earthlings that would explain William missing the service, clearly some kind of ransom communication.

Then William must be prepared for the press to turn on him and no wheeling out of colour co-ordinated children will save him. Kate was the popular 'face' of the RF. Maybe that pisses him off too.

It's an official statement. To all intents it is a direct quote. 🙄

Latest TikTok rumour is that she won't be back by Easter and may need up to another 5 weeks to recover.

I don’t think what he said would have made most people think “ooh he’s ill” and anyway, he went in to hospital for a routine prostate procedure. It was only after this that it was discovered he had cancer. So unless the King is clairvoyant, I doubt he would have known in September 2022 that it would
be discovered he had cancer in January 2024

For the ?3rd time this thread.

Because of course TikTok is the fount of all knowledge 🙄

Maybe she’s preparing to be surprise arrival in celeb BB?! 😂

That's exactly why it's a rumour. So we'll see when the time comes but as the purpose of the thread stated, the entire PR surrounding Kate has been truly cocked up anyway. So you might as well believe what someone on Tiktok says compared to some "royal" source giving updates on absolutely nothing.

That'll be right then. 🙄

I always refer to it when I want to fact check 😂

You seem hellbent on making everyone here look like stupid idiots by repeatedly posting the same JPG that everyone has already seen. People are ignoring you for good reason.

That update was obviously nothing out of the ordinary and entirely expected based on the timeline. It was the weeks following that when the entire PR went tits up and they starting losing the narrative on social media. Arguably, the catalyst was the day William pulled out of the reading and the news about Thomas Kingston broke. Then the mysterious (somewhat unnecessary?!) denial that his absence was related to Kingston's death.

Oh ok. The commentator on the radio news made a deal of the point and completely failed to say he was talking about two separate events. He spoke about Trooping the Colour in relation to both.