I'm a HCP in a one horse rural town. I was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago and after surgery had 4 months off. The diagnosis process takes time and since it was my right breast, I had lymph node removal and there is a high risk of picking up undesirable infections, my surgeon strongly advised that I stay off work until fully recovered.
Once all the results were in and they decided I didn't need chemo, I completed radio and returned to work 3 weeks later.
Obviously a lot of patients had to be cancelled and since we didn't know when I would be fit to work (it would have been out of the question on chemo). I didn't feel it necessary to broadcast why I was off or when I would be back, but my god did the rumour mill fire up.
My DH had messages from friends who are patients asking what was wrong with me. People were making up stories, one thread had me six foot under or close to it.
The POW experience is exponentially worse.
It is no one else's business, if or when she is ready I'm sure she will open up about it. Not only is she protecting her own privacy but that of her immediate family, particularly her children who are at school and will probably be fielding questions from the children of over invested parents.
When you are recovering from major surgery the last this you need is the Spanish Inquisition.
Why is it so important that we know? No one speculated this much about the Queen, who was very obviously very ill in the last 12mnths of her life.
I am fully recovered from surgery and treatment and I am now able to talk about my experience, at the time it was devastating and all I wanted to do was protect my DH and DC from intrusive and potentially emotional cross examination.
The Spanish bullshit has been on TikTok for weeks it's not new.