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

Well if they want your opinion, they’ll ask for it.

Hint: they won’t be asking for it.

Or maybe they can’t be bothered with ridiculous subterfuge and are just being honest and Kate is not wearing her rings because she is at home, recovering from a procedure and just forgot to put them on, so continuing their brand of being relatively normal and not pandering to those who micro analyse everything 🤔

In your opinion, not mine.

Have you not seen how unhinged and rude the posts on Meghan are? True cyber bullying facilitated by this forum. To be fair all this stuff on Kate is mild.

I mean, there are news reports online about her being dead, that her children could see, but sure, mild, yeah.

Yes this will doubtless be the truth rather than some of the whacky theories swirling out there (or on here more worryingly)

I don’t wear my rings at June a lot of the time . Or iut for that matter. Her engagement ring is huge. She isn’t going to wear it around the house, is she?

Oh haha very funny. Not. Grow up.

A lot of adults do ballet classes. Very good for core strength and general fitness.

I’m sure SS are on the RF board. How could MN find out if they are. They can’t can they? Perhaps MN can answer that one?

Who do you think they are?
I'm curious

At first I thought SS referred to officers of the German army during WWII....

... then I found out it was one of the most ridiculously infantile social media monikers I've heard in a long time, and just couldn't stop LAUGHING!

What are we, in a high school playground? Trench warfare between team Sussex Squad and team Schmuppet Squad!!

Puhleeeeeeeese.

Of course, some folks who struggle to process nuance have a strong need to put people in boxes. And others, it would seem, consider these discussion boards an existential matter, rather than simply a place to engage with ideas and discuss.

Each to their own! It is kinda funny though. Defo reminds me of high school (fondly or not)....

😆😆😆

Why do you love Murdoch so, @TallerSally? I thought he was a very bad man.

Are the self monikered Sussex Squad members putting themselves in a box - is it an evolution of Schrödinger's box?

Re-posting this as it's a hugely interesting read! (no doubt it was written by the notorious Schmuppet Squad leader, Misty McSchmumplet):

Shows that KP's PR team are definitely closely monitoring and responding to social media - obv, what PR team wouldn't - despite what some on these boards seem to think:

https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/this-is-just-weird-buzzfeed-news-former-royals-reporter-on-kate-middleton-palace-press-and-distrust-in-the-media/

Aren’t you the one who was suggesting she and the kids had been whisked away due to a security threat?!

If so calm and measured isn’t a description that springs to mind.

Doffing your cap doesn’t come into it. She’s off sick, why is no more your business than if the receptionist at work was off sick.

I really don't see why you get so worked up about people trying to figure out what's going on and not necessarily accepting every press release from KP unquestioningly. You're obviously very credulous, but that's you. Other people take a different approach.

You're obviously very credulous, but that's you. Other people take a different approach.

😂😂 like coming up with "she and the kids have been moved to a place of safety, possibly because of some risk identified by the security services" you mean? It's certainly different, I'll give you that 🤪🤪

There’s a bit of a difference between being credulous and making up fantastical nonsense 😆

I thought it was pretty obvious that the Princess of Wales had had her head chopped off like some previous English monarchs did and the high neck sweater is to hide the bit where it is stitched back on. You guys are so funny!

Ah that's why she is wearing a polo neck, makes perfect sense now

She's worn an Anne Boleyn type head dress, now we have the ... Anne Boleyn polo neck, useful for those times when you regret you didn't LTB.

I think credulous better applies to people who seem happy to suggest conspiracy theories with zero evidence.

It’s a bit like how it was revealed the other day that many of the UFO sightings in the US are, in fact, military aircraft and other such easily explainable things. Most things are exactly what they appear to be. Life is not full of exciting conspiracies at all. But some just don’t want to accept that, so they just think everyone else must be stupid and gullible, rather than everyone else
has weighed up the evidence and decided that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck that’s exactly what it is. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one

Goodness, I'd love to be like you and live in a world where everything was straight forward and obvious and everyone was honest. Where is this magical place? Dorking? Bracknell? Please do tell😁

Earth. As in down to