Finding all the Princess of Wales conspiracy theories so odd. Am I in as much of a minority as it seems?

[CupOfCoffeeandaPineappleChunk]

Perhaps I'm naive. Maybe my imagination isn't as wild as it could be ( although it is general incredibly lively), maybe ive got a realistic perspective, or maybe I've got it utterly wrong. Whichever is the case time will tell.
I'm Finding it difficult to understand why pepole would think it so inconceivable that firstly she has had surgery, rather than is having a MH crisis or divorce out they're is done other strange mystery afoot. It's apparently unimsginsble that surgery is major and takes a lot of recovery to get back to full health, a)to be potentially walking around for hours on end not feeling drained and exhausted and. b) being in the public eye wanting/ needing/ being expected to look good on return to public life.

i personally underwent abdominal surgery at the same hospital as the PoW a fortnight ago And stayed in for 6 days. Apparently many pepole in the Gi unit stay up to a fortnight two weeks on, although my cuts are tiny (keyhole), I am swollen up and currently am a similar size to I was when I was 7.5 months pregnant, covered in bruises, & in almost constant severe pain despite a cocktail of drugs and can barely move around. To say I'm exhausted would be the understatement. I normaly walk 6 miles every day and work out bit I can't ever get to the street corner150ft away and back without being crippled. I'm carrying about 7kg of extra weight in swelling. Needless to say apart from feeling grim I look deathly.
I've been given a very structured list of things I can't do for 6 weeks, very basic things - I tried as it seemed so ridiculous. Clearly its not ridiculous. Abdominal surgery can be a huge deal. I've been told 6 weeks to be able to do ordinary things like mopping the floor and hovering, carrying anything more than 4 or 5 kgs the 12 weeks to get back to my usual stamina and condition.

If i was appearing in the scrutiny of the public eye I would not be going out if I did not look back to normal and feel good. Surgery makes you feel really low and you need to feel good about yourself especially when you're going to be picked apart the world over. .

People firstly have no idea what is involved I often in major surgery. Add in having to maintain an Element of appearance for the public so asks extra time to achieve that.
They seems to be huge confusion between planned/ elective vs emergency surgery. Its always planned unless you are literally rushed in as a critical emergency. Otherwise it's classed as planned I saw my surgeon for a consultation. My op was the next day. Urgent but not an emergency, therefore planned.

Is it really that strange?..

I think there’s such an expectation these days that lives of famous people are consumer commodities - encouraged by the fact the influencer generation are making themselves into consumer commodities, monetising every detail of their lives.

People expect daily updates, Instagram posts from the hospital bed.

This is massively at-odds with the traditional royal “never complain, never explain” approach. While there have been some moves to greater openness, it’s still very guarded. And that’s understandable.

And regardless of what royal protocol dictates, Kate is still a human being who has a right to some privacy. She’s not obligated to share information about her health with the general public.

But it’s this vacuum between public expectation and what the royals are prepared to disclose that has been filled with wild speculation.

People keep insisting that the silence mDan something sinister - “what are they hiding?! When the most likely explanation is that a woman wants a certain amount of privacy and the royal family is communicating events in the same style they have for decades.

@Serenster those 2 photos really do look like a couple on the verge of divorce don't they 😂

Thats what puzzles me, you only have to look at their interactions with each other to see they look genuinely happy. I'd love to have someone look at me the way he frequently looks at her

I really don't understand it either. What's even more weird is that people seem to desperately want there to be something sinister going on. That's what's surprised me so much - I see people metaphorically rubbing their hands with glee as they say "Maybe she's in a coma, maybe she's divorcing William" etc etc. They are so excited at the prospect of something awful happening. They'll finish it by saying "I just hope she's OK". No you bloody don't hope she's OK!! These people will be gutted if she's fine and normal and not getting divorced/seriously ill.
An American Facebook friend was posting yesterday "Oh something's definitely not right. Do you know she never actually left the hospital. William only visited her once and her parents never visited her." HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?! Does it not occur to you not to believe everything you read online?!

People keep insisting that the silence mDan something sinister - “what are they hiding?! When the most likely explanation is that a woman wants a certain amount of privacy and the royal family is communicating events in the same style they have for decades

Especially when the announcement in January specifically said there would be no updates.

I was not aware of saying anything that alludes to a conspiracy theory @IsoldeWagner. I am certainly not a fan of the popular royal conspiracies.

Kate has had some major abdominal surgery and is recovering, Princess Diana died from a high speed crash involving a drunk driver and no seat belt (for the avoidance of doubt).

I also think the PoW medical information is private and she and her family will need time to adjust to any health changes in private.

What's strange is how the palace PR/comms people have handled this, and that vacuum is why people have rushed to fill it.

I don't get why people find it strange. They said "she's having an operation, see you at Easter" Then, "Thanks for the good wishes and for the care I had in hospital".

What else should be expected? There was no other update/photo they could possibly have released that wouldn't have fed a million other speculations. So what's the point? May as well stick to what they said from the outset. Seems like an eminently sensible PR policy to me.

I completely agree with this post, 💯.
What I question are statements about they and them (who?) and someone being "thrown to the wolves".

Sorry lazy expression on my part, they being press officers working in different offices. I think one overarching press office for the immediate family of the monarch would eliminate some potential conflicts of interest.

...and greater oversight and pooling of press experience.

I'm glad you started this thread OP, the other threads range from the mildly batshit to downright bullying, I hope Kate never reads those threads, they're like a pack of hyenas going after her like that.

Roll on Easter, I say.

Completely agree about the scepticism re her health OP. I've come to the conclusion that it's a particular type of privilege, to not have experienced similar in your own family to realise just what a big deal a major operation is. I hope your recovery is smooth sailing from here.

The photo IS an important story though, and it's not about Kate's health or appearance. It's about the future head of state trying to mislead both the press and the public, and also the major agencies not standing for it which is remarkable in itself. And possibly also about the impossible standards of beauty we hold women to, especially women in the public eye.

impossible standards of beauty
So leave her alone, and excuse a bit of photoshopping.

I find it quite troubling that some people seem to assume that because the royals get some public funding that they are therefore “fair game” somehow and any speculation verging on bullying is therefore part of their “job”. These people did not choose these roles, they were born into them. They are not fair game and personally, I think our laws should protect them a lot more. They are not influencers who have chosen a certain path - and even in that sphere, we have seen some influencers who have exploited their own children which they regret in hindsight.
I think social media has exploded and every envious little hater now has a voice. Our laws need to catch up somehow. What if there was a law that even if you have no cash to go after for libel that you lose the right to have an IP address, for example. Online hate and speculation and harassment is an actual problem. It is even affecting our political system too now. We will lose democracy if we are not careful and nip some of these issues in the bud sooner rather than later.

And imagining the counterfactual for a moment - say that the conspiracies are true and they’re on the verge of divorce, Kate’s had a breakdown….WHY would the strategy be to say “she’s had abdominal surgery, she will be back after Easter”.

I would expect in that situation they would buy some time off with some more vague health excuse, continue to encourage her to undertake some light publi facing duties, separate to William if needed. It’s hardly as though there’s no precident for the royal family smiling and waving when they and their marriage was crumbling is it?

Even in a more extreme version of this scenario, you wouldn’t set expectations she would be back to public duties after Easter because you couldn’t reasonably assume that would be the case.

I can’t imagine a scenario in which the best PR strategy is telling the public she has had abdominal surgery and will be back to public duties after 3 months…unless she had abdominal surgery with a 3 month recovery time.

It wasn't a bit of photoshopping, that's the point. It was manipulation. There was no need for them to put out a current photo, old photos, a photo of the kids, a have drawn card, nothing at all, a photo of some flowers would all have been perfectly acceptable choices.

But they did do it, and they should be held to account for that, even if it was for nothing more serious than vanity.

It also thrives on vagueness and insinuation.
Ask these people for evidence or justification and it comes to nothing.

I agree with you OP. I can think of several surgeries which could keep her out of action for this long and in hospital for a fortnight. Because we don't know what kind of abdo surgery she has had, people are running with "well I had my appendix out and was back to work in 3 days" or "I had a hysterectomy and had 3 weeks off" which is entirely irrelevant.

I do agree about the absolute tiredness/weakness when recovering from this sort of surgery, I had a hysterectomy (full open procedure not keyhole) about 8 years ago and in the first few days after I came home, it was a huge effort to stand for the 5 minutes it took to have a shower, and I needed a sit down on the bed after to recover. After about a week I was walking to the local Co-Op 5 minutes walk away but it was like climbing Everest, massive effort. Things get better slowly and we're all different.

People with too much time on their hands can't cope with the lack of information and create their own elaborate theories to fill the gap. A generation ago they would have shared their crackpot ideas with their nearest and dearest who would have told them to get a grip. Now they have a worldwide audience of similar idiots on social media.

Agree OP - the endless threads about her and William and increasingly bizarre theories are utterly baffling. It seems that the lines between SM and RL have become blurred for far too many people, and unless the minutiae of others lives are played out for them they simply cannot cope.

She’s had surgery, she’s looking and feeling crap, she’ll be back in the limelight in a few weeks. The end.

@Misthios - your last two sentences - the problem in a nutshell.

Yep. This.

There wasn’t a vacuum.

There was a boundary laid down regarding personal / private health information and a clear timeline outlined to manage expectations.

However this arrangement didn’t suit various sections of society for differing reasons and key individuals have jumped in to agitate, amplify and exploit the situation to support their own separate agendas and/or financial gain by whipping up susceptible cohorts of the general public.

KP made a huge mistake in going against their original plant attempting to engage with and appease the baying mobs by releasing that photo. They shouldn’t have released a photo at all and certainly shouldn’t have doctored it.

They should have stood strong and resolute on their objective to maintain privacy and dignity.

I suspect that PoW initially wanted to establish a reset with the media about how often and how much he will play ball and in a world where SM content is instant and constant (and more importantly monetised) their was a backlash.

I hope that Kate and her family go on a digital detox to aid and speed her recovery.

I totally agree. Lets face it she's got 3 kids, a husband and a house. Even if she does have lots of help, its not the same as just being to lay around being waited on for 6 weeks. She'll be wanting and needing to engage with the children, that in itself is tiring. As well as healing. All this speculation is awful. Just leave her alone.

OP hope your own recovery is going well and thanks for the insight.

People with too much time on their hands can't cope with the lack of information and create their own elaborate theories to fill the gap. A generation ago they would have shared their crackpot ideas with their nearest and dearest who would have told them to get a grip. Now they have a worldwide audience of similar idiots on social media.

Exactly this....