As rumours continue to rage around the welfare of the Princess of Wales, our agony aunt Vanessa Feltz and American actress Whoopi Goldberg share their exasperation…
Since she first came into the public eye as the student girlfriend of Prince William, Kate Middleton has lived her life in the full glare of public attention.
And, over the years, she has become adept at living her life in the limelight and become one of our most respected Royals – combining grace and glamour with a relatable warmth – particularly when she is seen out and about with her three children, George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five.
So it’s no surprise that after the shock announcement that Kate had undergone ‘planned abdominal surgery’, the news made headlines around the world.
Human nature being what it is, people were naturally concerned and curious about what was wrong. Yet, rightly, the palace was adamant the precise nature of her illness would not be made public, stating that the Princess ‘hopes the public understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible’.
Since then, no other official information has been forthcoming apart from a statement to say she would return to her duties after Easter.
To be fair to Kate, while the King chose to share that he was suffering from cancer, the Princess – as is the right of every other subject in this Kingdom – chose to keep her medical records private.
Unfortunately, that sent social media into overdrive with unofficial ‘information’ and conspiracy theories. It has led a clearly frustrated Prince William to authorise a statement saying: ‘His focus is on his work and not on social media. Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timeline of the Princess’ recovery… That guidance stands.’
Kate was finally spotted on 4 March as a passenger in a car, driven by her mother Carole, in Windsor. The grainy image appeared on the gossip site TMZ, but was not published in the UK. But then came a photo that really set tongues wagging…
Issued on Mother’s Day from the official Kensington Palace Instagram account, it showed a healthy-looking Kate, with arms wrapped around her children.
She added the caption: ‘Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.’
Initially, the picture was met with delight from Royal fans, especially as the palace briefed that the picture had been taken by her husband, Prince William. Yet, as the picture was scrutinised, eagled-eyed internet sleuths and official picture agencies started noticing strange issues with clothing and fingers.
