It’s honestly hard to agree with the idea that she’s had an “easy ride.” That ignores a huge amount of what she’s been through with the media over the past 20+ years.
Before she even became a senior royal, she was relentlessly pursued by paparazzi—followed constantly, chased in cars to the point of creating dangerous situations, and subjected to serious invasions of privacy. That included upskirting and the publication of topless photos without her consent.
On top of that, there were years of negative commentary about her and her family. She was criticised for not being aristocratic enough, her background was picked apart, and she was given demeaning nicknames in the press.
Her appearance was constantly scrutinised—from her weight to her style to virtually every aspect of how she looked.
There was also the phone hacking scandal, where her voicemail was reportedly accessed over a hundred times—more than some actual royals—which shows just how intensely she was targeted.
And that’s not even getting into the “Where is Kate?” frenzy a couple of years ago, where speculation and conspiracy theories spread widely and the media environment became incredibly intrusive all over again.
So no, the idea that she’s been largely spared criticism or treated gently by the media just doesn’t hold up. It overlooks a long track record of scrutiny, intrusion, and, at times, outright hostility.