In the UK are we…

[StrawberriesandCreamTea]

…really like this? Back in March the New Statesman had this to say:

“Our parasitic behaviour is the only reason she’s made this announcement.”

https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2024/03/kate-middleton-and-the-sickness-of-a-nation

No, you’re just not a cunt.

TicTacToes · Today 16:07

Can you not answer some of the points people have raised?

I'm guessing not.

Other than Piers, the rest of that is just crap.

Polarised political landscape in the US. Meghan and Harry are definitely not on the Republican wing. 😊 Roth has written before in other outlets about them. Pretty messed up when a right wing journalist who likes to think he is ‘highbrow’ uses their names in an attempt to reach a wider audience.

Harry and Meghan are not mentioned at all in these posts. They are about cancer and Catherine.

What does he say that's incorrect? Or do you support the bile that the Sussex Squad say about William and Catherine?

And what do you mean about 'William behind the scenes'?

Nothing but ad hominem attacks on Toth. Rather proves his critics have no argument.

Mark Toth writes for The Hill which is no more right wing than my dog is a horse.

I think “William behind the scenes” is act 2 for Harry where he pretends other people are controlling King Charles like he pretended about HMQ when she set out rules for him he didn’t like.

Nope, you're not the only one. I just thought "oh dear that sounds like she must be quite poorly, I hope she gets better soon" and thought nothing more of it. I certainly don't think it's any of my business what's wrong with her.

No definitely not the only one. Most decent, right-thinking people were content to accept the statement that was made.

A powerful piece there by Toth @BemusedAmerican - thank you for sharing.

I am sorry to hear about your parents. 🌻

Thankfully, in real life, most of us surround ourselves with people who are decent and compassionate. I hope you had people round you to keep you afloat while you came to terms with it all.

Anyone - on here or otherwise - using cancer as a stick to bash a person with?

A cunt of the highest order. With sadly no prize to collect as they have all been allocated for Harry and his ardent supporters.

The people who would have gone to watch public executions, or perhaps knitted around the guillotine, are now given power of utterance and a global platform when once they would have been illiterate and voiceless

It's a valid point, @CoffeeCantata, but in the wider world this only really works if folk give them the oxygen of attention. I'd add "paying them the compliment of engaging" except there's no point if they don't want to discuss anything but just to dump some ill digested, twitter inspired script and then run

Happily there are countless others capable of nuanced discussion who'll even respect those who disagree with them, which surely makes sniping with the derailers even more pointless

Edited to add here's another who'll join you in accepting the statement and that the rest was none of my damn business ...

I think it would have been far better for KP to issue a brief statement shortly after the initial announcement, thus preventing the speculation.

they did! They announced she had surgery, was recovering, and would be recovering for the coming months.

Subsequent to her major abdominal surgery and the announcement, it was discovered she had cancer. She had every right to not announce anything more than their initial statement.

Similar thing happened to me, major abdominal surgery, cancer diagnosed and then 6 weeks until I started treatment. In between, 2nd opinions, more MRI and CT scans, biopsies, pet scans, nuclear scans, bone scans. I had top notch care in a private hospital in London,and it still took that long to determine it hadn’t spread and until I started treatment I told very few people what was going on and only when we had the full picture did we begin opening up to others, I didn’t tell my dad until I knew for sure what we were dealing with, as the idea of his worry was breaking my heart, my child was a baby so I didn’t have the worry and anxiety of how my kids would process it. She likely had a similar path until treatment was decided upon.

it just beggars belief there are people who still believe she should have told the world the minute she got that call from the doctor to break the news to her and William. Even now they have told the world, there are still cold hearted onlookers who don’t care a damm about what she went through or is going through, gloating about what they call a ‘PR failure’,

💐 I hope all is well with your health now. And well said: gloating at a woman’s pain and the distress of her family pretty much sums it up. Blaming PR as a way to absolve their ghoulish curiosity - at best - simple wickedness at worst.

Our parasitic behaviour is the only reason she’s made this announcement

Not our.

Some only. The parasites who started spouting all kinds of theories, slurs, and nastiness as soon as she stepped back.

Then forgave themselves for being so vocal when the cancer diagnosis was announced.

Honestly. Some were actually forgiving themselves for their behaviour.

Still didn’t stop them being an arsehole in the eyes of so many here.

@Thedom For you 🌻

Putting words into my mouth there - "she should have told the world the minute she got that call from the doctor to her and William" is not what I was suggesting. Steady on, please.

It was 100% a failure on the part of their media advisors to have believed the general public would not wonder about such a long recovery period and that speculation would be rife in the absence of more specific detail than was initially offered. The people these advisors work for are greatly loved public figures - far more significant in the life of the nation than mere celebrities - and that should have been acknowledged by the offering of more detail, and sooner.

As PR professionals, they absolutely should have anticipated the speculation and the negativity - they should have been well aware of the nature of social media in the present day. The people employed by the prince and princess of Wales to protect them from the online rumour mongers and media shills let them down. This is not gloating, and you have no reason to believe it to be such in my case.

You have no idea at all what the Princess' path to diagnosis and treatment may have been and have no reason to believe the initial statement that a planned surgery resulted in the sad discovery of a serious issue. It may or may not have been a similar pathway to yours (fwiw, I do hope you are well on the road to recovery).

Thank you. I’m fine now. Always said with the disclaimer, ‘fingers crossed, hope I’m not jinxing myself’.

It was 100% a failure on the part of their media advisors to have believed the general public would not wonder about such a long recovery period and that speculation would be rife in the absence of more specific detail than was initially offered.

Where’s we differ: I see that as the public’s problem, not the media advisors. Pandering to mob rule should not be necessary when it comes to private matters, such as serious health issues.

I think it was fine to wonder. Not fine to start with poisonous speculation and rumours.

It isn’t anything to do with the timing of an announcement and absolutely everything to do with the idiocy of those who would not accept the first statement.

But when it boils down to it, it really is not anyone’s business what and when she chose to share.

As Serenster said, pandering to mob rule should not be necessary.

@mathanxiety

I don't think any sane person would ever have anticipated the viciousness of the Bouzy-led charge to blacken William, which went well beyond "speculation" and into territory where it should be judged in moral, rather than PR-success, terms. So I don't think the PR people have anything to apologise for.

I'd say pandering to American mob rule. I don't think the British public were the ones baying for their pound of Catherine's flesh.

exactly, on here alone, all those new posters appeared to be on a different time zone, it was so obvious at the time, most of the crazy conspiracy theorists and nasty rubberneckers demanding to know Catherine’s medical details, were from across the pond.

It was so obvious at the time, most of the crazy conspiracy theorists and nasty rubberneckers demanding to know Catherine’s medical details, were from across the pond

I hadn't twigged that TBH, but then I kept largely off the threads where the mania was at its height

FWIW I do get the point about restricted statements to "avoid speculation", at least where there's any chance of them working, but sadly that was never going to happen here so on balance KP's decision was probably for the best

Who's to say the PR people even knew?