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

Rupert Murdoch told me to write it. And to tell you he loves you.

From one of my favourite accounts I follow elsewhere.....

"I just long for the good old days of the royal family when:
Diana was starving herself
Charles was wanting to be Camilla’s tampon
Margaret was a drunk
Andrew was randy & sleeping around
Fergie was having her toes sucked
& Philip was racist all the time.
Happy simpler times.🇬🇧😌"

(Donning tin hat ready for onslaught 🤣)

Well, pass the smelling salts. Her profile is showing elegant cheekbone and no evidence of a balloon face. All those poor souls hoping she's lost her looks will need a hand hold right now. Lighting a candle for them.

I think I've seen that site - is it called the Snarky Royals or something similar ?

Rupert Murdoch told me to write it. And to tell you he loves you.

🤣

No
It is an individual with a sense of humour 🤣

I pity people who put their bile on paper for folk to read.

I really pity people who choose to repeat it. 🌱

Isn't that what was the Duchess of Sussex's recent engagement was about? Women spreading gossip about other women?

“But we also created these habits – what I find to be the most distributing is how much of the hate are women spewing that to other women,” she added. “I can’t make sense of that.”
“Reading something terrible about a woman, why are you sharing it with your friends?,” she asked, “That’s the piece that’s so lost right now.”
“We’ve forgotten about our humanity.”

I give it a few more minutes until a double is suggested and "but we can't see her whole faaaaace, how do we knooooow it's her?!!"

Maybe they borrowed one of Putin's? Or one of these dolls to use in your car in commuter traffic?

It's Pippa. It's Carole. It's Carol Vorderman. It's Melania Trump. It's Christopher Biggins in drag. HOLD THE FRONT PAGE!!!!

Forgot to add my pics!

She has probably borrowed a face @ChVrches

There are enough posters here with more than one of them.

Thanks for your pity, I feel much better for it. 🤣👍

Not everything is all about you I’ve said before.

I don’t feel pity for you.

I feel something else entirely.

The Independent website has just posted an article ‘Who is Rose Hanbury’.

The press do this sort of ‘innocent’ story when they have a story they can’t publish. A warning for the Wales’s maybe?

Oh come on, @ArcaneWireless . Don't you find eating disorders simply hilarious? And addictions - so funny. And racism. What do all those POC have to frown about, have a good laugh about it I say! It's just a shame that they never can get that phone call right. Must be hard of hearing as well as thinking. For a hacked phone call, the contents were very clear.

Taking a leaf out of Meghan's feminism book, are they?

Oooh should I be scared?

My sense of humour is clearly lacking Alberto …

Although there could well be some things to laugh about regarding those who were magically left off that list.

Mocking eating disorders and racism and phone hacking - and then by saying ‘‘ready for an onslaught’’ admitting it’s all just for provocation in the pursuit of fun and japes 🤯😢

I expect it is a warning that they can expose William whenever they choose and they expect cooperation in return.

True. Isn't being toady against the talk guidelines?

So glad I donned tin hat
All good here

They'd have exposed him when the story was first made up by Dan Wootten and propagated by Giles Coren (who has since admitted he lied) years ago. They couldn't then because of libel laws and lack of evidence. It was all over foreign press who don't have the same constraints, so it's hardly a news coup.