In a video released by Kensington Palace on Friday, Kate Middleton revealed that the reason for her prolonged absence was a cancer diagnosis that followed her abdominal surgery in January. The princess also said she is now undergoing a round of preventative chemotherapy treatment.
The announcement came after multiple months of the Princess’ absence from the public eye. While many believed the absence had to do with her recovery following her late-January procedure, others began to speculate online that something else could be going on. Speculation only got worse after an edited photo of the Princess and her family was shared to the press.
On March 10th, Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, a photo of Princess Kate and her three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis was shared with news agencies. The photo was taken by Prince William, and uploaded for Mother’s Day with a message from Kate, thanking people for their support following her surgery.
Shortly after the photo was posted, multiple press agencies flagged the photo with “kill notices” and advised media outlets to remove it from their articles, as it failed to meet their photo standards. Small details, such as the misplacement of a sweater with Princess Charlotte’s hand, indicated that the photo had been edited.
With so much speculation about Kate’s absence already coming from the tabloids, as well as social media users, rumors began to swirl once more, with stories ranging from Prince William cheating on her to rumors that her surgery had gone awry. Following the backlash from the edited photo, the Princess issued an apology.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused,” Kate wrote on X.
While the apology did put some rumors to rest, the tabloids in the UK continued to go haywire. Only a few days later, after much pestering from the press, Kensington Palace released her saddening announcement.
In her video, the Princess maintained that although the past few months had been tough for her family, her and her husbands’ most important concern was, of course, her children.
“It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte, and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them,” said Kate, “and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.”
Kate’s video statement came only after much stirring from the media. Although reassuring, many agree that the Princess was forced to share personal news that she shouldn’t have had to share yet, and that the video only came out to address the abundance of rumors. The royal family usually releases statements in written form, and seldom in video form, if ever.
Kate’s video, while reassuring, is a stark reminder of just how obsessed the media and tabloids have been with the royal family and those associated with them for many years. No matter how royal they are, they are still a family of people, whose privacy should be respected.
