From battling internet rumours about her health and marriage to protecting her children and maintaining her relationship with the concerned public – the Princess of Wales’s statement tackled it all
The internet has been awash with speculation and theories of the whereabouts of the Princess of Wales. However, she put all the rumours to rest after confiding in the public that she is battling cancer.
In her statement to the public, she said she is “getting stronger” every day and shared that she will now undergo chemotherapy. Kate’s disappearance from the public eye since January for a planned operation has been keenly felt and has stirred public concern.
Things escalated after a manipulated image was shared of the Princess with her children Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five on Mother’s Day. The picture made global headlines after a number of global news agencies issued a “kill notice” and decided to stop distributing the image, whilst labelling Kensington Palace an untrustworthy source.
The Princess of Wales’s statement slowed down the spiralling public noise, and protected her young children all with one short statement.
Duty to the public
As the future Queen and a senior royal figure, Kate has taken her public role very seriously. Her statement has allowed the concerned public to put rumours about her well-being to rest. Whilst many will consider the Princess’s health a private matter, Kate is a beloved public figure and she recognised that many were concerned for her well-being.
A close friend of the Princess speaking to The Sunday Times spoke about the importance of Kate being able to deliver her health news directly to the public, they said: “It allowed her to speak directly to the public who, overwhelmingly, have always been with her and her family and who don’t buy into the noise and gossip. It was all her, she wrote every word of it, and it came together very quickly.”
Other friends who spoke to the paper the week before said that both the Prince and Princess of Wales plan to be more “open” and “honest” about Kate’s condition moving forward.
Keep calm and carry on
Another motivation for the Princess’s statement was so she and her family could carry on as normal without speculation and frenzy. Kate wants to continue in her duties as much as possible, health permitting.
A close friend of the royal told The Sunday Times: “She wants to be able to carry on with as active and normal a routine as possible and not have it become a huge issue when she goes to a farm shop near their home in Windsor, with people then suggesting that’s a PR move. Moving forwards, they will be very strict on enforcing their right to privacy.”
George, Charlotte and Louis
However, the most important reason for the Princess sharing the statement about her health when she did was her children. She said: “As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be okay.”
The children’s school, Lambrook, broke up for the Easter holidays on Friday afternoon, and that’s when the media were told by Kensington Palace of Kate’s imminent announcement. A palace source told The Sunday Times: “George is 10 now and can’t be shielded from any of this now. Once it’s at the school gate and in the school playground, he won’t be able to avoid it.” The children do not return for the summer term until April 17.
