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?..

She's entitled to her privacy while she recovers but the photo was a massive, massive fuck up that compromised their integrity.
I don't think it was a "massive fuck-up". I think it was a bit silly and embarrassing. Most people don't care about their integrity and find it amusing g rather than significant

I agree, @DappledThings . It seems to have enabled the tinfoil hat brigade though 🙄

I wish her well, poor woman but does anyone really photoshop a personal photo to that extent, what's the point. Don't most people just alter filters and colours, enhance features, remove the unphotogenic bits, who alters a hand or a jumper, it doesn't make sense.

It reminds me of the Nicola Bulley stuff. A lot of unintelligent people who inhabit social media and garner attention there but are probably quickly dismissed by most people they encounter in real life.

"Social social media is a marketplace of identity, not a marketplace of ideas. People are there to promote who they are and how they identify themselves. And how better to do that than say ‘I believe…’ And the more extreme that belief, the more notice people take."
David Badell on conspiracy theorists

Yes and they need to bugger off to the batshit threads, they'll feel more at home there.

But @IsoldeWagner the point is that if that photo is a composite of previous ones, it was created and published as if it was taken this week. So that's, by definition, misinformation. Being aware of that and starting to wonder what may be behind the decision to do that, is a rational response.

You are not alone. It came up at work for a belated IWD celebration and the general vibe was that it was driven by misogyny, and people's inability to respect a woman's boundaries. She hasn't caved to the media's (or Social Media) demands, and they need her to make revenue through clicks. So, thankfully, I work with decent people!

What I do find interesting is that on social media, many of the women who were posting about Respecting Women on IWD, are the same ones pushing these insane conspiracy theories (before and after IWD). Performative feminism it seems.. There are a lot of bots on social media driving this, too.

I am seeing quite a lot of people in person and online thinking the media and the conspiracy theorists need to STFU. I just think they are really loud small minority, as with most things, and the majority either do not care or wish people would leave Kate alone and let her get better.

Oh you cracked it...fringe conspiracy!! Catherine had one too many sherries at Crimbo (haven't we all!) and cut herself a fringe... bitterly regretted it and now won't be seen until it's grown out...job done, mystery solved 😛

I think it’s envy. I really do. And it also appears it is mainly women. Women attacking another woman, as that’s what these are attacks. In my experience that’s often down to envy,

when a woman appears to have so much, there are others who will take deep pleasure in hoping something bad has happened to them. Bring them down a peg or two,

I think that’s what’s behind all the baying for a stoma, or that her marriage is secretly shit, or that she’s had a mental breakdown or her husband is cheating. It’s pure envy bringing out the worst in people.

No the point is that it isn't a rational response! The rational response is to get on with your day! Whether the photo is fake or not has absolutely no bearing on your life! If you think otherwise you need your head read.

I agree and I think the media are doing themselves no good at all with these attacks. Between Catherine and Meghan and Caroline Flack they are revealing how all they care about is money and are willing to bully anyone to keep the clicks going.

@Superlambaanana OK

Completely agree!

I agree and I think the media are doing themselves no good at all with these attacks.

The worst ones are not mainstream media, I think the posters on Twitter and Mumsnet are the worst offenders. I've read some hideous things on here that have gone way past sensible discussion, but I guess the mainstream media throw the hand grenade and then sit watch the fallout, either way it's grotesque.

I do wonder if the divide is between people who’ve either had major abdominal surgery or know someone who has… and those who haven’t/don’t. It’s very likely the poor woman still looks like death warmed up. That’s perfectly normal at this stage.

So they edited the photo… which is exactly what most normal people would do if what they wanted was a nice Mum’s Day picture.

Being aware of that and starting to wonder what may be behind the decision to do that, is a rational response.

And would a rational response to these wonderings include the notion that she doesn’t feel visually, physically or emotionally able to be photographed right now and a misguided attempt to satiate the baying mobs was made in haste and error?

Or does there need to be more to it to satiate you?

There seems also to be no place for nuance, basically you're either "team Kate" or a weirdo obsessive. I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest many people who had barely registered the story until the dodgy photo was published, have now become curious. Not obsessive, irrational or hysterical, just curious. But maybe that subtlety is too much for some people.

It has been announced - She's had surgery, wants privacy, will be back after Easter.

I can't understand all the mass hysteria and conspiracy theories.

I'm sure one day she will reveal what condition was, when she is ready.

Just be because she is in the public eye does not mean she doesn't deserve privacy and space. People are so weird.

Absolutely, @NeedTodayOver .

Is this genuinely how you feel? If something has no direct impact on your life we should show no interest? If this is the case, why are you on mumsnet and even tnis thread?

Same.
Major op = weeks of recovery before being in the public eye again. Especially if was bowel related or a hysterectomy with complications. She has a big enough house and garden so that she get fitter again without being seen.

There's no hysteria in RL in the UK. Everyone I know thinks she should be left alone to recover. There's been some awful things in the foreign media and I have seen really unhinged stuff on X from accounts that seem to be US based.

Well look at all the bizarre theories people are coming up with on Mumsnet! Most of these posters are from the UK.

How do you know?

Having been on Mumsnet for years I have a strong impression that most people are UK based. Yes some from other countries but most are British.
I've also seen plenty of insane conspiracy theories on other social media like Facebook and X from British posters. We're as mad as the rest of the world. By the way, I don't include myself in that 😁