Less than a month ago, “royal expert” Tom Bower said the quiet part out loud: that the future of the monarchy depends on “obliterating the Sussexes.” Prince Harry and Meghan cannot be allowed to live, work and thrive outside the institution because they will expose the uselessness of the whole exercise. Bower has targeted Meghan for years, using vile, dehumanizing language, but here’s something new. This week, Bower appeared on TalkTV and he claimed that he actually knows what’s going on with the Princess of Wales and that it’s pretty serious. While he hasn’t turned on the Waleses, we’re going to see more of this in the coming days, weeks and months:
On Kate’s surgery & recovery: “We’re not being told what the surgery was. As I understand it, it was very serious. I won’t reveal what I’ve been told it was, but she is seriously ill. It is not fatal. She will recover, but it’s a long healing process and that’s why she’s disappeared from view.”
It’s not a PR problem, it’s an illness problem: “It’s far worse than news management… we have a crisis for the monarchy at the moment. The king is ill, probably more serious than we realize, the Princess of Wales, who is the future of the monarchy… is seriously ill too. We have the constant problem of Harry and Meghan, the reappearance of Andrew is catastrophic, it’s a very bad time for the monarchy and a bad time for Britain…it’s not so much the news management, it’s literally the facts. The facts are that the royal family at the moment is besieged by bad health and unfortunately by scandal too.”
The timeline for Kate & Charles’s recovery: “I think it’s months rather than weeks. I think Kate’s recovery will be much longer than they originally anticipated, and I think the king is rightly taking his cancer treatment very seriously.”
[Transcribed from TalkTV video]
While Bower talks out of his ass a lot of the time and he’s truly one of the most vile people I’ve ever seen, he often gives a glimpse into the general mindset of the royalist media. Between Bower’s statements and the Daily Mail’s columnists freaking out all week, it definitely seems like there’s a lot of panic going around the royal establishment and their media handlers. All of this to say, I actually think Bower has got it right in this narrow instance, that Kate’s condition is much more serious than the palace has led people to believe, and that she’s not going to pop up on Easter Sunday with a fresh wiglet and a BBL. We probably won’t see her until Trooping the Colour in June, if that.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, Patron of The Forward Trust talks with visitors at HMP High Down in Sutton, England, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, during a visit to learn about how the charity is supporting those in the criminal justice system to manage and recover from their addictions.,Image: 804839504, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: POOL, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kin Cheung / Avalon
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- `Catherine, Princess Of Wales during her visit to Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton on September 18, 2023 in Yeovil, England. The Princess of Wales is visiting the airbase following her appoint as Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm (FAA),Image: 806236941, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Jules Annan / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales during a visit to Standfast & Barracks printworks in Lancaster. The company is renowned for its impressive heritage in textile design and creativity, which dates back to 1924 and is now part of the Sanderson Design Group.,Image: 808649830, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Dominic Lipinski / Avalon
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- Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, holds a speech after she participated in a series of workshops which focus on emotions, relationships and community action at Factory Works in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. The Prince and Princess host the forum for young people on World Mental Health Day.,Image: 812604092, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty Wigglesworth / Avalon
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- NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 11: Catherine, Princess of Wales speaks to students and staff during a visit to Nottingham Trent University to learn about their mental health support system on October 11, 2023 in Nottingham, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales are carrying out engagements across the UK to mark World Mental Health Day and to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing, particularly in young people.,Image: 812878227, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales, known as the Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, meets farmers at Brodieshill Farm, Moray, Scotland, to learn about efforts being made to better support the mental health and wellbeing of young people, in Moray, Scotland.,Image: 819149516, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Jane Barlow / Avalon
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- Image Licensed to i-Images Picture Agency. 12/11/2023. London, United Kingdom. Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales , at the Remembrance Sunday service at The Cenotaph in London.,Image: 821569091, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images. Magazines contact agency for fees before use. Images Single use only then repro fees apply. Info@i-images.co Tel: 07860204379, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stephen Lock / i-Images / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales visits the Design Museum where she made a key note speech at the “Shaping Us” National Symposium in London, UK, 15 November 2023,Image: 822201133, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Pohle / Avalon
Ugh. I just can’t take bower seriously. He’s been caught on so many lies. Who’s to say he’s not just jumping on what Concha has been saying and he actually knows nothing. That said, I can believe that something is up with kate and she won’t be seen well past easter.
First he says he hasn’t been told what the surgery was. Then, literally, the next sentence is, I won’t reveal what I was told it was. Which is it?
I actually took the “we’re not being told what the surgery was” to mean that the palace isn’t telling the public what the surgery was, and/or what it was for. And in the next sentence when he refers to being told what it was, I think he just means what he’s been told unofficially (either from a palace source, or other members of press/rota).
I think that Kate had her gall bladder removed, or something equally mundane and that the Royals are keeping it under wraps because they probably think that something like gall bladder surgery is too peasanty a surgery. Plus, if Kate really was critically ill, I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t release this info so as to garner sympathy for Kate, plus it would pull focus from King Charles and his cancer treatments. By not disclosing what’s going on, it allows Kate to stay off of the Royal rota for an even longer period of time. Plus, I can see William being stubborn enough that he wouldn’t release any medical info just because everyone wants to know.
When I had my gall bladder removed I was out of hospital the NEXT day!! Just sayin’….
I had my gallbladder removed when I was 26 and I was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks and had a months long recovery! Emme, the more serious cases aren’t done by laparoscopy.
Like Emme, I had my gallbladder removed and was released from the hospital in 24 hours. I recuperated at home for three weeks before I got the OK from my doctor.
Don’t know why but I’ve always thought it was something like Fibroid surgery (common) which ended up being an emergency hysterectomy. That throws you into early menopause and depending on her childbirths takes a lot of healing.
Banana panda, it only throws you in to early menopause if they take the ovaries out.
Yep I had my uterus out but not ovaries. Eight inch incision to remove three pound fibroid too. I recovered in three weeks, and I think Kate doesn’t have it.
I think she did not have a surgery at all, i think she is over with playing the harworking saint and she took a little vacation. The firm just tells people she had surgery so she can stay the perfect future queen in the idiot royal fans eyes
I think it Crohn’s disease requiring a colostomy. Gallbladders are keyhole surgery now. The other thing would be colorectal cancer. A recent article said for some reason it is on the up tic in the younger generation. The colostomy could be traumatic for the kids to see, therefore the reason for them not seen visiting.
Pancreatitis is my guess. It’s often life-threatening and takes months to recover from fully. Often, doctors don’t take women’s health complaints/issues seriously. I’m no Kate apologist, but whatever she’s experienced, I hope she recovers from it. I can’t imagine what would happen to George if his mother passed. He seems like such a sensitive, worried boy. He doesn’t have his Uncle Harry around to help guide him and is surrounded by needy, greedy idiots…poor kid.
Sorry, originally posted this on today’s William post, makes more sense here:
First time commenting regarding the Kate health issue, but just want to add something based on personal experience with abdominal surgery. My son had a full colorectomy. Immediately after he had to deal with an ileostomy bag. It’s a pain to manage but he felt the most healthy he had in a long time during that portion of his health journey. I suspect this is Kate’s current situation, waiting on her system to heal so she can then have another surgery for the reversal. If this is what she’s going through she’s most likely very healthy at the moment but hiding due to the stigma of the ileostomy bag. If so, it’s a shame, she could be doing very good work to dispell that stigma. But it is a very big mental load. After the reversal she may be feeling very sick again for quite a while.
Congratulations on your son’s journey back to health and recovery, and thanks for the insight, Jen.
I hope your son is now well and I think it is highly likely that Kate is going through the same thing .
I think this is what it is, too. I had a temporary bag and reversal surgery. The timeline fits.
I had a bag for about 6 months. I had been in a medically induced coma (died more than once but was brought back to tell the tale, thank modern medicine that all the powers that be). Was working for 3 months of that, then I had the reversal. I think she came very close to death as well.
Thank you for this information, Lily. I am very sorry you went through this, and also in admiration of your recovery.
Thanks Lily for sharing your health travails, it very well could be the same thing for Kate.
Thank you both for the very kind words. I was incredibly fortunate to be at one of the best hospitals in world. More than anything, I was blessed to have a village led by a husband who could joke his way through ileostomy bag changes (humor was our savior). Four years later and we now have a two year old with another baby on the way. Other than some hideous scars on my torso and a scar from my trach, you’d never guess I was ever sick. I have no lingering health issues and it is miraculous.
(What happened? My gallbladder ruptured due to illness. I didn’t feel sick or unusual pain so I didn’t know. I have a freakishly dangerous tolerance to pain — that isn’t a great thing. I went septic, my body basically turned off, and luckily the only casualty was the gallbladder and a bit of my intestines that now work as expected.)
While I was sick, I lost most of my hair, I had to ‘learn’ to walk again, and I had to ‘learn’ to talk again. I say ‘learn’ because my brain was all there but my body was basically useless after being bedridden for as long as I was. Again, I had world-class care and it was still many months before anyone would be able to recognize me as the person I was pre-illness. Kate is a terrible person and I am not trying to cut her any breaks by sharing my story, but my experience makes me look at this situation and think “this scenario makes total sense with zero holes in the story.”
Of course, I know it could something else, but this possibility checks all the boxes. What triggered the need for an ileostomy? Alcohol abuse or ED is definitely on the table, as is an act of violence that caused internal damage, as is illness or bad luck. I won’t pretend to know, but I see all options as similarly valid.
I am a better person for what I’ve gone through, and I only hope the same will be true of Kate.
Your story is truly amazing! I am so happy to hear that you’re doing so much better now, but you should write a book!
I’ve always thought this is what she had done.
Me too – until this week, that is, when I got to the point of thinking it was something else. Jen’s post makes sense to me and brings me back into the fold of abdominal surgery. Posters on here, right at the start, shared personal stories of horrific pain and surgeries. I do think however that her illness has possibly caused mental health issues, or her illness has been impacted and made worse by mental health issues – a perfect storm.
It does not explain why K cannot be seen or why she is not speaking . Historically, she has always had a desperate determination to have her photo taken and dominate everyone else, It is totally out of character for her not to be peacocking. Is Bower a treasured expert of the Royals or just another vile old man pretending to be a journalist.
Yes, people keep mentioning that they think she has an ileostomy bag, and initially I thought that could be it, but that still leaves a lot of unanswered questions and does not fully explain the weirdness going on. If she were in a healthy enough place right now for some sort of photo op, we would have one, even if from the chest up or something.
And if not a photo op, a message FROM Kate (not on Kate’s behalf) thanking everyone for their good wishes. Pics of CarolE heading over to Windsor to visit. Embiggening articles about how Kate is the lynchpin of the monarchy and works so hard everyday to get better so she can save everything. Yet there’s been nothing like that. Like they’re not only sure when she’ll be better, but if.
No one is asking for photos of an ostomy bag. A picture of her face reading today’s newspaper would suffice.
Lily has made a brilliant post above about possible same surgery and medically induced coma. From personal experience.
He is a vile old man pretending to be a journalist. A general all-around POS.
@Sparrow yes but now we’re talking about two different things. Kate being in a medically induced coma (which could be as a result of a variety of surgeries) is different than Kate refusing to be photographed because of an ostomy bag.
Lily & Jane, congrats for the successful recovery stories!
Thing is most ppl have no bigger issue with whatever reason Kate has for wanting privacy: It’s her health, maybe the prognosis is uncertain, and she has three kids to think about.
But KP basically denied Callejas’ story about Kate being in a coma, and their official version has always been that she’s well on her route to recovery from a routine surgery. It’s comms creating distrust and opening the floodgate for crazy theories bc that’s obviously not the case.
Kate found reasonable to hold public photoshoots a couple of hours after every time she gave birth. This proves that her being highly incapacitated, not just ‘making big progress’ is the most likely reason why KP hasn’t issued a heavily edited pic where she’s propped and smiling, wrapped on a Scott plaid shawl over a Hermès chunky sweater to hide an ileostomy bag.
Your own experiences allowed you guys to learn that ‘big progress’ can well mean ‘not dead as of yet’, which -again- is opposite to information made available and is reasonable motivation for William’s obvious state of distress.
Hi Becks1. From what I’ve read upthread it could be she was at one point in a coma due to complications with the surgery. Perhaps this was at the start. I’ve been of the opinion until today, why not do a waist up photo, thinking it was ‘just’ a bowel resection. Kind of ‘forget the bag and just say thanks and look at cards’. I’m not so sure now. It sounds as if it could be surgery plus plus; that something went wrong during surgery for a resection, and multiple issues are at play. On another post someone has said why doesn’t William do a personal statement with thanks and an update of sorts. Which is a good idea. Why doesn’t he step forward and say something.
I hope your son is fine now, but if Kate has this and doesnt’ want to share it(she could raise a lot of awereness) then why not publish a pic of her with flowers/cards taken from the shoulders up, or put a bouquet in front of her?
I can almost buy something like this, but I do feel like it would’ve been very easy to get a single picture of Kate sitting in bed, reading a card or admiring some flowers or something, with a “Catherine very much appreciates all of your well wishes during her recovery” message. Hell, get a shot of Louis reading a book to her! Some tiny crumb would’ve gone a long way here.
Like I said above. I think this woman has a mixture of physical pain, surgery and recovery, and possible mental health issues combined. I was going down different routes this week, simply because it’s been months, but I’m returning to this position. I’m thinking she’s actually in some kind of breakdown situation rolled into abdominal surgery.
I had a complete colectomy, temporary ileostomy, due to cancer. Didn’t have a reversal for 1 year, as it took a long time for my j-ouch to heal. At the 6 week mark, I was shopping for outfits and going through job interviews. I tired easily, but still was able to do it. It was only when chemo was added to the mix that it became much harder. Still, doing a photo or sending a message would have been possible. So having lived it personally, I don’t think this is the issue. I suspect she may have had a post-operative clot or stroke, and is having to go through significant rehabilitation.
My mom had colon cancer and a colostomy bag and couldn’t wait to get out because it helped her feel normal. She was getting depressed being cooped up and wanted to be around people. I know she wasn’t a princess (she was a queen to me) but I just feel like what is going on with Kate is weird and not normal. The palace doesn’t want anyone to ask questions about Kate but when a whole ass human disappears people are gonna want to know why. Especially when they are a public figure.
I had a colorectomy and even with a temporary bag, I looked amazing! Better than ever! Lol probably because of 2 weeks of clear fluids and 2 weeks fasting. Final recovery was a number of months but after 10 weeks I was out and about. But I was posting daily hospital selfies as I looked so chiselled! 🤣🤣
I had a similar experience during a stomach flu. Leaving the toilet yet again, I glanced at the bathroom mirror and noticed that my stomach was flatter than ever.
🎶 Look on the bright side of life. 🎶
I’m so sorry your boy had to go through that. If that is what Kate had, and she had come out with a pretty, stage-managed photo of her surrounded by the kids, with a bag, everyone would have been soooooooo supportive. And it would have done so much to stop the stigma. Missed opportuntity to do some good while also getting the recovery time and rest she needs.
Sorry about your sons issues. But none of that explains the rest of it. Why aren’t Kate’s parents being seen going in or out. And the kids are usually trotted out for these types of things. And Williams sudden spiral. And if it was just some actual health issue. There would be more statements saying she’s doing better. Or pictures of the get well cards and things. But it’s a total shutdown. And nothing is being said. Nothing that can’t be explained if the truth does finally come out. None of what is happening would be happening if this was just some health issue.
I agree. William’s obvious withdrawal from most *work* related events, and not appearing with his family members since Christmas, speaks volumes about desperately trying to cover something up. The Midds have gone to ground as has the blow-hard Uncle Gary, and the children seem to have been taken from school. I more and more think that our commenter Mary Pester, who has an inside source of information, is right in her opinion that they’ve gone to Balmoral.
I think this is what it is, too. A friend of mine was sick for YEARS and went to doctor after doctor. It turned out she had undiagnosed crohn’s and had to be put in an induced coma and almost died. She had the surgery and the bag. Full recovery took more than a year.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I so empathize with you and anyone who has taken care of a child through a serious health battle. I really hope your son heals completely and goes on to live a very comfortable life.
I know it’s a very American attitude but I think this kind of honesty and information sharing sets us free and is incredibly healthy. The implication that there is something about illness that should be hidden is a bit..idk if offensive is the right word, but I don’t like it. Once you grow up and meet a lot of people, you realize that EVERYONE has trials. Everyone has wiped butts, most have taken care of very sick family or at least seen the effects of serious illness. And frankly, most of us can empathize with families afflicted by addiction too. TRF should remember this.
I also thought it may be something with the digestive system and getting a colostomy bag. Those are so difficult to deal with and the fear of it leaking or someone smelling is a nightmare in public. I had a niece and my mother deal with them in the past. Not fun or an easy recovery.
That is what I am thinking is going on as well. It is a long recovery.
I’m sorry about your son. As I posted above it could be something like this. I hope he continues to feel better.
Seriously ill. Not fatal but the kind of ill that she can’t be shown to the public? Not even with Vaseline on the lens and soft lighting? 😳 And THIS is supposed to be reassuring?
this gives credence to the coma rumor being true. She is either recovering from a coma or remains in one. Coma itself isn’t fatal, but recovery can be long and slow, and there could be permanent damage.
What if she has to learn to walk and talk all over again?
Tin foil tiara in place:
My guess is that Kate’s tenure as Princess of Wales is ending. She will be “retired,” to the country–maybe she’ll join the kids and her mother in Balmoral, where they can be hidden out of sight. William can’t divorce her under these circumstances without looking like an absolute bastard–unless they pull a “St Kate generously gave her husband his freedom to find another companion to do the job of monarch’s spouse.” The next Mrs Wales will be called the new Duchess of Cornwall and will be Princess Consort. The “Princess of Wales” title is retired until George and Kate is called “The Princes’s Mum”.
Heck, he might even find a woman of color to marry to “one-up” Harry and “prove” he isn’t racist, but will make sure she never has any children to taint his bloodline.
Okay, but in this situation, are the kids to move to balmoral permanently? It’s hard to imagine.
Lanne why would the kids go to Balmoral? Their school is at Windsor, then George goes to Eton. The other two will likely be local. Kate’s not leaving her kids and living in the outposts of Scotland. The kids lives will keep going and Kate will be a part of that.
The kids are not in school at the moment–they haven’t been in school since this all began. It’s an easy pretense to keep uo because everyone expects the kids lives to be private, and the school could put families on lockdown: “anyone who shares information about the Wales kids in any circumstances will have their children immediately withdrawn.”
Kids are a loose cannon–whatever is being hidden from the public could be hidden from the kids as well by keeping them away,.
@Ianne
I actually think this is spot-on. This is the slow rollout of a divorce or public separation that lets William continue to do whatever the hell he wants. Kate provided him with heirs so she’s done.
If she wasn’t such a horrible mean girl I would feel worse for her, but as I’ve said in multiple comment threads, this is what she and her mom schemed for for over a decade. They had no contingency plans and didn’t focus on anything other than Big Blue and Big Fancy Hat.
Shame.
“tenure as Princess of Wales is ending”
…when did it start? She hasn’t done anything
Not to fall into the conspiracy territory but this is really begining to sound like cosmetic surgery gone wrong. There are literally no reason for them to be so squirelly about this situation when Charles is relatively opened about his cancer treatment.
I don’t know. There’s the ambulance rushing from KP right after Christmas. I don’t think it’s something planned like a cosmetic procedure gone wrong, I think it’s a sudden health issue.
People seem to think that serious developments can’t come about from plastic surgery for some reason. Donda West died from cardiac arrest after an operation. Joan Rivers died after going into cardiac arrest from a “minor elective surgery.” These surgeries are typically performed outpatient, but if a person goes into cardiac arrest or something equally serious, an ambulance would be called. Do people think Donda and Joan didn’t have access to the good surgeons? Surgery has its dangers, even plastic surgery.
IF it is something like a bad stroke, she could be partially paralyzed. Her face could look different. There are many serious medical events that could cause shocking and visible physical changes. I’ve always thought that cosmetic surgery was by far the least likely reason.
You can get a good bit of recovery done from cosmetic surgery in 2.5 months so the traditional summer disappearance would have been the time to do cosmetic procedures.
I get that it’s obviously something serious but the fact that they acting as if it’s shameful just doesn’t make it look like it’s not something like a cosmetic procedure that went bad. Like, if she had a stroke where’s the shame in it ? The actress Aubrey Plaza had one when she was 20 and I’ve never heard anybody making fun of someone because they’ve suffered from something like that. What medical condition can be so shameful in their eyes that it needs to be hidden at all costs ?
At this point I don’t think it was “just” the abdominal surgery.
It’s surgery recoup + she had a breakdown
It’s surgery recoup + she had complications (not to diagnose anyone, but she’s been showing classic eating-disorder signs and that does a number on your innards and could cause heart attack/stroke etc.)
It’s complex surgery recoup (see upthread about the folks who had bags, it takes a lot to be brave/positive about that and she has been on the edge for a while)
@Berkeleyfarm, yes I’ve been thinking about a problem with mental health as well. We know she thinks that been treated for your mental health is “not everybody” so that could definitely be something that they are all feeling ashamed about. But it’s just so stupid from them !
Jeremy Renner was posting proof-of-life pics with his hospital staff and family days after being crushed within an inch of his life… Just saying.
Well those comments by Mr bowel will certainly stop all the rumors and speculation going wild.🙄
“We have the constant problem of Harry and Meghan, the reappearance of Andrew is catastrophic, …”
H&M were bullied. They are not the problem, that was the BRF and the BM! And they’ve been gone for 4, four (!), years now.
As to Andrew, if the BM put pressure on the RF and the Met did their job, he would no longer be a problem either. It’s men like Bower that enable Paedrew to stay and then complain about it.
I mean to him they are a constant problem. Two people who pointed out the hypocrisy of the media and the family, and left. The problem for them is they didn’t crash and burn they are successful, popular, and clearly not interested in returning. This can’t be allowed. I know commenters like to say that the average Brit doesn’t pay attention to the royal family but at some point even the most oblivious person is going to ask what’s the point, and why is my money being used for them.
Exactly. They are also a “constant problem” because a certain percentage of these weirdos have decided they are.
I had a friend in senior year high school who had a break up with her first serious boyfriend but told us she was fine, over it, and he was no good anyway…she then proceeded to tell us that several times a day for weeks on end and escalated to driving a certain route so she could see if his car was in his driveway. This continued until we called her out and she got some help.
…Sound like any portion of British media and “experts” we know?
Therapy. Therapy. Monarchists should look into it.
“Constant problem” means Harry and Meghan are constantly being too successful, and continue to breath.
Agree with you all—whatever has happened, it has affected her body above the abdomen and she can’t be seen in pictures. Coma, stroke, etc. something near-death as a result of surgery, that’s going to take months of rehabilitation.
“The reappearance of Andrew is catastrophic, Harry and Meghan, living their own best successful lives, is a constant problem for us numbnuts who have perpetually claimed they’re irrelevant.”. Fixed it for you TB. MFer.
When the Sussexes aren’t seen since, it’s a thing.
When they are seen, it’s a thing.
Meghan has lunch and dinner with people on the same day! Who does that? (Meghan is so irrelevant that we, the BM, will report on her dining activities and what she wore and that her & Harry’s home have X # of bathrooms because that’s super important).
When the Sussexes don’t mention the BaRF, it’s a thing.
When the Sussexes (Harry?) mentions his father, it’s a thing. HE WANTS TO BE BROUGHT BACK INTO THE ROYAL FOLD!!!!! LOLZ
Bm: Netflix hates the Sussexes. Regrets everything.
Cofounder of Netflix, Reed Hastings, also, majority owner of Powder Mountain, doesn’t have a problem with the Sussexes being at Powder Mountain. BUT EVERYONE HATES THEM SCREECHES THE BM. As an aside, I’m trying to not share links. Look up Reed Hastings farewell post re: stepping down from Netflix. He is a pretty eloquent man. The palaces courtiers could learn from some of RH’s words. They won’t, they can’t-the palaces/courtiers/BM have no humility.
Four statements that lead to wisdom per Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache character:
“I don’t know”. “. “I need help.”. “I’m sorry.”. “I was wrong.”. Things to think about. It’s obvious “royal experts” don’t think of such things.
The leaks are starting. Explains nothing about William and his issues though. Everything really does seem to be a cover up for him.
I wholeheartedly agree. I know many people are saying that Kate is being protected but I think all this cover up is being done more for William and the institution. Married ins are disposable. If they in any way go against the grain they are dealt with. Besides, Kate was only used as a weapon against Meghan. When Meghan left they tried mightily to change Kate into Meghan. Well, now Meghan is gone, they couldn’t change her into Meghan, and William obviously has no use for Kate. Kate will now become the target. That is once William stops this facade and gets out of the media’s way.
My current theory is that William is freaking out because whatever happened, he’s afraid Kate isn’t going to make a full recovery. He isn’t going to be able to divorce her. She isn’t going to be able to do the work she used to. It’s going to all be on him.
“The POW is the future of the monarchy”? Wouldn’t that be PW and PG?
I know the articles where CarolE has obviously briefed say that, but has Bower ever gone that Keen Mandela route? I have to admit, when I read that bit , my mind went full on “does he mean her survival the future of the monarchy, because if it ever gets out what happens to her, everything crumbles down?” Because the future of the monarchy is obviously Will and George (and Charlotte and Louis even)…you know, the heirs, not the married in.
I’m just here to remind everyone that the two named royal racist are seriously I’ll.
Coincidence? karma ?
Telling statement right? Imagine if this ultimately is a chronic health issue and she legitimately can’t even do the little bit of “work” she used to? They would be soooo screwed!!
I’m sure this will be used as Kate can’t work and she will only attend events where she can wear shiny jewels. That’s assuming W doesn’t ditch her totally.
Yeah let’s not let this fade. Racism kills and what about little Archie’s privacy and feelings.
I’m getting really disturbed by the way everyone clutches pearls about Kate’s “ medical privacy” while ignoring that she didn’t care about a baby’s basic dignity and she and her husband threw Archie to the media before he was even born.
Yup, exactly.
@My Three Cents..
More like Pr to make everyone forget and seek sympathy. I said this before…the minute they were named they both had medical conditions.
Karma? Two people are seriously ill. And this doesn’t mean I don’t remain in horror at what was done to Meghan, and Harry, and her suicidal intentions and the truly awful experience she had, damn it – when she was pregnant, but I can’t see anything payback-ish in this.
I’ve been wondering if she had an ischemic (sp?) or hemorrhagic stroke. My mom had the latter and was part of a stroke survivors group. It’s not a pretty, or easy, recovery process. Would explain length of stay in hospital, as well as not wanting to put out pictures of her while she recovers. Would also explain the coma rumours to some extent.
Interesting… My theory of the moment is kidney failure/transplant, which would explain the timeline and allow KP to play with a kernel of truth. If that’s the case, I truly do feel compassion — being a mom with 3 kids changes everything.
Why would she all of a sudden have kidney failure? If you get to needing a new kidney, you’ve been ill for a very long time, sometimes since birth. She’s never shown any indication of that kind of health issue.
This is a possibility. I had a brain haemorrhage and was extremely lucky I was in hospital for 11 days but made a full recovery and was back to my old routine within weeks of getting home. However, only 20% of people make full recoveries and it can take years.
My girlfriend had a severe stroke I. Her late 50’s . She had to go to a rehab hospital for several months. She made a full recovery and now travels everywhere. Very lucky.
But they said that the operation was planned?
Strokes (ischemic ones) are a potential complication after surgery, so she may have had one as a result of a planned surgery.
But why wouldn’t they come out and say that? Surgical complications are nothing to be ashamed of and it would shut people up. Plus the palace line is that everything went well and Kate is progressing. One evidence of things going well is being up and about.
This is entirely reasonable, surgery complications happen, esp in very involved surgeries. Would explain the induced coma rumors This seemed most likely to me until William began to fall apart and I became somewhat convinced that he had been involved in her sudden “problem”. I guess one shouldn’t make predictions, he is out and about again…not sure what’s going on but its more than they will ever admit to, that I do know. This here is the first I have heard someone say she will fully recover, but he could be lying too. Hmmm.
Yes I mean I do understand the idea that he could have done something to her based on his behavior and what we know about him. However, let’s say he didn’t actually assault her. His behavior could be based on the frustration of not knowing if/when she will be able to “work” again. Uncertainty and lack of control can trigger all sorts of things for people with unresolved trauma. Perhaps he wanted out (since before) but is now being told that he can’t divorce her and is throwing a tantrum over it?
My dad had a hemoraggic stroke last year and died from the brain bleed less than a week later. Granted he was 79, but hemoragic strokes are super debilitating–from what I was told by the neurologist, there isn’t much that can be done for treatment that’s effective on even someone middle-aged like Kate. With very young people their skulls can be opened and fluid drained, but the success rate above the age of 21-22 is really, really slim.
I love the BBL rumors 😂🤪, but she could have had a stomach full of ulcers too.
Whatever it is or was, it might just result in more of the same—and that is that the delicate 🌸 cannot work, will not be resuming full-time duties 🙄, will be on a lite schedule from now until perpetuity.
Who wants to lay $5 on it?
Nope, sorry, don’t buy it. If she was just seriously ill with a long recovery, the coverage would be absolutely cloying with all the nonstop fluff stories we’ve mentioned here for weeks. Her illness (even if it’s very serious) would not precipitate a complete change in comms strategy. Hell, if she were that ill they would’ve lied more completely from the beginning – I mean this is the palace we’re talking about. They 100% have the ability to cover up an extended absence. The question here is why aren’t they even trying?
My new theory (today) is that Kate is being used as distraction for Charles. The new monarch has cancer – that news would have typically sent the British tabloids in a tailspin, but somehow they’re being measured and responsible in how they report on his health? Yea, that’s a tell.
Charles is the one who is much more seriously ill than they’re letting on, and this was all an idiotic coverup plan gone awry.
Now that would be something. And really really effed up.
There were reporters (foreign papers) saying Chuck had pancreatic cancer which may be why Harry hurried over…….
But opening up about her serious illness and filling the airwaves/print/online media with wall-to-wall cloying coverage would also have been a distraction from “I have cancer, I’m getting treatment, look at my pictures with the PM I’m doing pretty good” Charles. And deviating from their normal comms strategy would mean they correctly predicted the “where is Kate” stuff would have blown up the way it did. They are not that smart (nor do BP and KP coordinate so well on their comms strategies).
To Charles, that wouldn’t have been just a distraction, it would’ve been too much – remember, he’s just as jealous as Will, and doesn’t like having to share the spotlight with anyone, especially Kate after that flower show debacle. Plus, if Kate was the one doing Charles’ PR (the cards, thank yous, drivebys, etc), then we’d have the reverse issue – people would be praising Kate and wondering why Charles was being so secretive. They couldn’t do TWO card-reading sympathy campaigns, so obviously they’d give it to the monarch not the future consort.
We also have to remember that a few months ago Kate (and Charles!!) was a Royal Racist and now she’s a Missing Woman and Potential Victim. Impossible that the Windsors didn’t call in any and every crisis PR firm on the planet last year. By having her dip out of sight, they achieve the distraction from Charles while getting some much needed distance between these scandals.
It would have been a win-win. The problem, of course, is Will. Will couldn’t handle the pressure, completely folded almost immediately, and is still spiraling. To effectively manage talent, you have to be pragmatic about who your primary really is. I think that was the fatal flaw here – they grossly overestimated Will’s abilities to, well, do basically anything and instead based the plan on the global statesman he pretends to be on paper, hence the ensuing dumpster fire.
The deviation from their normal comms strategy wasn’t precipitated by Kate’s illness or the need to cover it up, it was because of Charles’. They’ve been able to manage the “where’s kate” stuff because nobody was really asking that until Will couldn’t hold up his end.
I think you’re right, but there’s one more point. The outing of the “royal racists” was supposed to prove that, unlike what Harry said about the reveal being too damaging for the institution, that it didn’t matter at all. I don’t think Piers Morgan would have openly stated those names if it weren’t for that purpose–his only goal in life is to get under Meghan’s skin, since he can’t seem to get her attention any other way. The BM are obsessed with proving Harry and Meghan wrong as a way of trying to cast doubt on anything they have already said and might say in the future.
@Ianne no way the royals intentionally named the racists and chose to name the future consort and the current monarch. If they were naming names it would’ve been a daily fail exclusive through Camilla’s ex-DM new secretary naming Edward and Sophie or Beatrice and Edo. No, I think that was a calculated move from PM to stop himself from being Wooton-ed.
@Sunday, I still have huge doubts (as in, I don’t believe it at all) that BP and KP would play so well together. They’re still briefing against the other in recent weeks. Why would Will agree to a coordinate comms in this instance to protect Charles? Will doesn’t have that kind of loyalty in him, not to his dad, not to the crown, he is only loyal to himself. Now, I do think Chuck is more ill than he’s letting on, but I don’t think the weird comms around Kate has anything at all to do with helping cover that up.
Seems possible. This is the second article today in which there’s an open hint that Charles may not be long for the world (I already closed the tab on the other one from this site, but in the quoted article it say “[may?] soon have to take over for Charles” or something along those lines).
Although I don’t rule out horrifically bad timing and Kate having a stroke and Charles having cancer at the same time. Stranger things have happened.
I believe that pr strategy is called “tail wag the dog.”
Maybe she is sick… sick of William’s crap and is holding out Milania style- renegotiating her contract…. Upping the carrot, I mean her family does need the money…… and they are MIA
Did someone say Carrot?
‘
I wonder at all these what ifs too. Good point about K’s fam being MIA
#CarrotKate?
Tom Bowels is a proven liar.
Yeah I wouldn’t believe him if he said today is Friday.He is as Looney as Angela Levin but I think she has a more credible connection to the inside than him.
IIRC, he was the one who spread that outrageous rumor that Doria Ragland had a prison record for dealing cocaine. Doria should have sued him to kingdom come for libel and slander.
I understand the reluctance to share K’s health issues, especially if it’s colon-related, but it’s W’s strange, medicated behavior since then that amplifies the speculation. If he was a caring husband, he would be glad to hear well wishes and mention little things about her recovery. Instead he seems scared sh*tless waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like he is somehow to blame for this. He isn’t seen with his family or he avoids them. The Midds have distanced themselves entirely. So what gives? Is W’s love child due on Easter Sunday? Is the immense length of K’s recovery due to massive internal bleeding or organ failure? At this point, the bowel surgery seems less likely since she would be up and around by now.
I’ve always thought William enjoys being the next in line to the throne but doesn’t actually want to be king. Too much like hard work. His father goes in for one surgery and they find another cancer. That must be a huge shock, and sadness, for William and it brings closer the reality of kingship. His wife gets very ill. For someone with a temper, he may be feeling incredibly guilty for treating her badly and taking her for granted. Illness and fragility bring matters into sharp focus. He’s underweight and strung out. It’s all collapsing around him.
I think it’s the other way around — William’s family is deliberately shunning him, and his behaviour is off-the-scale weird. He’s acting like a scared cockroach because one of these days someone is going to spill what really happened and that would be a disaster for the royal family’s current status.
*Scared cockroach* 👩🏽🍳💋
I agree that these options seem most likely. The BBL stuff was never a serious theory, just a joke.
I’m guessing Kate will not return to public life in any meaningful way, if at all. Perhaps she will take weeks or months of rests between a few short engagements. Even the tabloids might not challenge this – (ok they will).
Well illness comes in many forms. Who knows what she is really suffering from. He was quite vague with his information.
agree
Ischemic bowel sucks too. It’s like a stroke for one of the arteries that nourishes the intestine. Super complicated course.
“We are not belong told” yet “ I won’t reveal”?
For the first time since her wedding, the public is interested in Kate & all the rota can do is write the same story every day? Can’t even make something up to fill the pages? No fan-fics about the kids picking flowers and cooking for their ailing mum?
This might just be the 1st media blackout since the abdication (we will never know truth, be real). KP is not briefing. W really put up a wall & that is fascinating to me.
Is this the first time someone actually said Kate is ill? The official statement said she had surgery but didn’t specify illness or injury.
The bbl is a joke. It would seriously make her top over. She wouldn’t be able to stand upright with a bbl.
All these illness rumours make me wonder one thing: where are the Middletons? Why wasn’t anyone of her family spotted at the hospital? If it was H&M you bet the paps would trail Doria…
“The facts are that the royal family at the moment is besieged by bad health and unfortunately by scandal too.”
It’s not “unfortunate” in the sense of unforeseen bad luck; rather, it’s the consequences of decades of poor judgment and bad behaviour. The phrase that Bower and the rest of the rota rats are twisting themselves in knots to avoid is “The chickens are coming home to roost.”
And what scandal is he talking about? There’s no scandal with regard to H&M. And if he’s talking about Andrew, the RF don’t seem to think he’s all that scandalous if he’s being accepted at all the family gatherings.
If she just had some plastic surgery and is milking it she will regret it. I honestlyly think she is ill but you never know. She has been under a lot of stress. Her “early years” is a bust. She has been outed on all fronts. The Crown tv show isn’t even spoke about now that’s its her turn. Then magically she becomes ill.
I think she is sick but only because she has looked really ill for over a year.
Well my tea has been spot on over the last few weeks hasn’t it, and more coming. 😊
Will someone tell Bower if he’s going to talk out of his arse, to please stand up as I can’t stand mumbling!!!
No harry and meghan are NOT a problem, but the rest of the left behind ones are. They can’t get their stories straight, they can’t think for themselves. They would give almost anything to have Harry (just Harry) Back, but it ain’t going to happen, and Charlie is to stupid (and sick) to realise that if he guaranteed their security,told ravec to sort it out and Harry, Megan and the children came back for a visit, it would maybe help stop some of the rot in the family! Billy idol would be told to wind his neck in, bone idle wouldn’t be seen again and Andrew could be shipped to the US! Only a dream I know, BUT what isn’t a dream is the fact that Charlie is a lot sicker than admitted, and that was part of my T two weeks ago, catch up Bower, but you can’t lol
tea is eagerly awaited!
bone idle wouldn’t be seen again has me worried for her. I’m among those who think that what’s wrong with her is so serious that she can’t be trotted out for the public, that she may not even be conscious. I also think that whatever is wrong with her, plus her persistent physical and mental fragility (including not having the ovaries to take what she dishes out) means that her public role is over, and she will be put out to pasture one way or another.
Aside from vague mention of “school runs,” info on the kids seems to be in complete lockdown in the UK. I don’t want those kids trotted out in public, and I hope they are being well cared for in a safe place away from all of this. Has the talk about “where are the kids” leaking beyond gossip sites or is that line of questioning verboten?
The royal family is facing a complete shape-shift now. KCIII is very ill; Kate is in a bad way physically/mentally and out of the picture; Willbur behaving like a cockroach running away from a bright light; the royals shunning him like a pariah; the media hog-tied into not reporting the truth but leaving lots of bread crumbs.
It’s all crashing down innit Mary Pester…
Hi Mary Pester. I love the Balmoral angle you’ve posted about, and I can see the Middletons going up there to be with their grandchildren. But would someone out of hospital go to rural Scotland, rather than being in London or nearby to hospitals in case of emergency. I understand you have some actual info about this and would like your thoughts. Thanks, Sparrow. (Or is it just the Middletons and kids in Scotland and Kate in London?)
So, he’s the first to start leaking the story. How long before the others follow him – going from articles demanding William to tell the truth to writing what they actually know about her absence. There is no way the royal reporters do not know.
What we have learned about the British press over the years is All It Takes Is One. Once someone goes first usually it’s over. Cause they all want to be experts. They all wants to say “I have impeccable sources”. If no one else blabs by tonight, I don’t know what to think.
I hate to write this but I’m not broken up over Kate. I’m just speculating. Hope she is okay. She really has been pushing it with the weightloss.
It’s like dominoes, one tips over and the whole thing falls apart.
thing is, it isn’t really a leak, it is the official story. It’s another version of “just you wait and see, little people, she will arise and be reborn at Easter, or therabouts.”. Easter it is then.
I did indeed second thought myself on this! I posted and then went to make a coffee and started thinking, what if Bower has been put up to this by the BRF. But, still, this could start other royal reporters chiming in with their bits and pieces of knowledge.
The silence is to protect the heir. Kate, however, loves publicity. She posed coming out of the hospital with her HG, her newborns. She is okay with the press writing about her finger bandages. She loves seeing her photo splashed all over the front pages. They pay to promote her on Insta and other social media sites. She LOVES it. Now, all of a sudden, she doesn’t. So she is either in that coma or her face is busted and the minute she shows it everyone will know something else went down other than successful planned abdominal surgery.
This is my thought as well. Either she is healing or milking it for press. I’m shocked that she has done a stroll in the garden or something.
Could this have something to do with the Middleton debt? Did the “early years” businesses donate expecting stuff and Kate spent the money on something else? Now, she is hiding out. So much has happened in a short time.
Early years doesn’t exist beyond a pir chart and a few press releases. There’s no active organization with action items, a budget, and workers. Kate was still in the process of “learning” about early years by visiting places. It’s a totally fake activity drummed up to make it look like she was “doing something” after Meghan’s Together cookbook, Smart Works clothing collection, Vogue guest edit, and Mayhew project.
I agree. If she had planned abdominal surgery, they could have published a picture of her from the waist up , looking at get well cards and issued a statement thanking everyone for their good wishes. There hasn;t even been any grainy pap shots of Kate or a look-a-like having a walk round the grounds at Windsor, arm in arm with her allegedly loving and caring husband, I’ve, obviously, got no idea what’s wrong with her but there’s something very suspicious going on.
Kate doesn’t have any power right now. Whatever is going on with her, she is not the one calling the shots. William is. William wants a media blackout, probably to protect himself, so he has one.
To me, the only reason not to put something out in Kate’s name is that it might be eventually shown to be a lie, since Kate could not have sent that message, or been the lady riding in the car, or whose hand you saw holding the card, etc The only reason is because it will eventually come out that she could do none of those things herself.
They wouldn’t even need a recent photo. Just a quick tweet thanking everyone for their thoughts and prayers.
I was thinking she’s loving the attention, but I’m not so sure now. Arghh!
Tom Bowers not only lies, he makes up non existent scenarios and tries to build a story about he, and only he, has inside information. Watch for a denial coming soon from KP.
I’ve believed for some time that she had a stroke. This article makes me believe it more.
I already didn’t expect to see her until June so this tracks.
Does this mean this couple can legitimately have a permanent light schedule as she has a chronic health con (short for condition) and her devoted husband must be either at her side or doing the school run? Quite frankly Brits will have to keep calm and carry on whilst this pair continue to take it easy at our expense. Same old same old my darlings!
@Lady Digby, yes I do imagine that this will become a “chronic health” issue and she will have to decrease her “work load” considerably and then of course, William will have to be available to do the school runs. I predict that neither of them will do more than 100 engagements a year for many years to come.
To me, the description of a “long recovery” and the uncertainty of the timeline fits in with the surgery being more of a symptom of an underlying issue that (hopefully) she is getting treatment for. To me, that is the only explanation that truly makes sense.
I wish it wasn’t this charlatan talking about this situation.
I’m reading all of these comments above and they make sense except that most contradict what little information we do know about Kate’s illness:
1. It’s not cancer.
2. It’s abdominal.
So I wonder if maybe she had an unknown ectopic pregnancy that ruptured and caused severe internal bleeding to the point that she was at risk?
1. It would explain the suddenness of the illness and her long stay in the hospital.
2. It would explain why it’s so private.
3. Now staying out until Easter? I dunno. 🤷♀️
Ectopic pregnancy would mean that William has touched her recently… and I highly doubt that he has!
I would have to have been a turkey-baster pregnancy. Those two haven’t had connubial relations for years.
Kate hasn’t looked well for awhile. She’s very thin and her face has lost its “glow.” I would not be surprised if its related to an ED, Colitis, Chrons, Celiac, or something autoimmune.
I agree—I believe this is an inflammatory autoimmune condition of the GI tract that has affected absorption (causing weight loss, hair loss, and fatigue), and that she needed something serious like bowel resectioning due to long-term damage. They even told us she’s “always had intestinal issues”
So much guesswork . Colostomy bag . Stroke .Plastic surgery gone wonky . Straitjacket . Damage from a “domestic ” as all the cop shows call it , with or without a dog bowl. It’s sickening how much treading on eggshells for this woman who really doesn’t deserve so much concern. I would go with.. nothing is wrong ..William is probably leaving and the Midds are negotiating terms
Kate Middleton the future of the monarchy? Please. She hasn’t a single talent in the world. She can’t even copy Meghan with any success. Ugh.
Oh please. He’s so full of it. I can’t wait until Kate comes back with a tight face and the British press just gushes at how refreshed she looks. Right now she’s holed up at Ma’s eating cheese toast and watching Netflix .
It wouldn’t explain William’s erratic behaviour, his own family shunning him, why the Midds and kids have disappeared, and the utter silence from the media. That doesn’t happen when you get your face refreshed.
Ann, we’ve got different ideas re what’s wrong with Kate, but I love that you remember Carole and her famous cheese on toast (which has to be one of the worst snacks we’ve ever come up with here in the UK)!
I only want to add a callous but nonetheless true remark: Kate is not the future of the monarchy. She is for all intents and purposes a broodmare in the eyes of the BRF. And she has served that purpose thrice over. This isn’t a normal family as we’ve seen and agreed upon time and again. The “heir and two spares” are the future of the monarchy (if there is to be one after Charles) and it’s been communicated to us that Kate has done her part at least where George is concerned. He is about to go to Eton and that’s now out of her hands regardless of her health or her opinions on the matter. Essentially if she doesn’t recover, or if divorce happens, it doesn’t matter. She is redundant.
That’s my thoughts as well.
I think earing disorder too. It explains the long recoverybecause mental issues don’t have definite recovery time. And, the royal family finds mental health issues to be shameful, hence the refusal to articulate what it is.
I think its a possibility, maybe there were talks of separation, and then this happened, hence why we don’t see her family and peggy looks so guilty and broken.
I think she’s in a mental facility far away from everyone.
I think you might be right about “talks of separation.” Being in a mental facility would make so much sense (why she hasn’t been seen).
A major face lift actually explains everything, it’s just boring lol. Charles got a bad diagnosis and Kate went screaming I neeeeeed my face done for my coronation. As for Will, he has always been a lazy, spoiled mess. But he was always shielded by Granny and Pa. We’re just seeing the real Will. They could put out a non-pic note from Kate but no one would believe that as proof of life at this point anyway.
@Backyard Mogul – ITA. I also think the reason why William is acting so shady is because he wasn’t there when she was rushed to hospital. I think he left her alone at Sandringham one time to many and she’s finally cracked. William is a selfish raging man-child who I truly believe has bullied and belittled her from the day they met. I think the only time she got any respite from his mental and verbal abuse was when Meghan came on the scene.
@JADED, it sure is, and SPARROW, I said the other week that more staff are being taken on at Balmoral. I haven’t confirmed if it’s for bone or the king, but, and it’s a big but, keep an eye on Charlie, he’s a lot worse than they are letting on.
Final note, the tabloid and bowel are obviously jealous of Kaiser, because we have a lurker!!!
That’s what I was wondering @mary pester. Could balmoral be adding staff bc it’s Charles who will be staying there more. If his cancer diagnosis is not going well. As for Kate, idk?
Thank you, MaryP, for the update on Balmoral. Goodness, it’s really hitting the fan for them.
Why do they have to continually drag the Sussex family into this. People who ask nothing of you and live nowhere near you are not your problem. Maybe just say that Kate is seriously ill and let the family deal with Andrew crassly and idiotically centering himself like it’s all good.
Bower seems to make up stories to seem like he is in the know. I don’t believe anything that spews out of his mouth or his acid pen. That man is disgusting.
i feel like she deserves to do whatever she wants while she heals. i really think women get so much hate/nastiness on anything related to illness. “oh look at her face, it’s so fat now”, “she’s so thin, wonder if she has ED”, “wow she looks crazy, maybe she’s got x mental health problem” and just nasty speculation about every aspect. perhaps a statement would be nice but she also doesn’t owe the public a statement. idk, the double standards here i’m struggling with. do male public figures get nearly as much scrutiny about any illness? why do we not hound them about everything they do to their bodies?
No one says, she should send a photo or make a video. A personal note is enough. Especially when her father in law (a man) is sharing as much as he can publicly without making it too personal. We don’t need her exact diagnosis or detail analysis of the surgery. People are worried she is silent and everyone else is speaking for her. Also, these 2 months, there were no articles about her, how she is doing from the regular royal sources, which is odd. People literally noticed all these oddities after Will cancelled his appearance last minute. Even when they are on vacation, “sources” are quoted on articles how awesome, perfect Kate is. Right now, there is a black out, which is worrying.
@sevenblue but that’s my point. why does she need to make a statement at all? i just feel like women are put on this pedestal men are not. let’s be honest, this is all concern trolling. people just want to know her exact diagnosis and satisfy some morbid curiosity or get a kick on her suffering. they said she had abdominal surgery, that should be enough. why do we even need to speculate on what it is exactly? it’s her private health business. i’m just sick of women being picked apart in the press. We also don’t know what Charles has and what his treatment is going to be, yet no one is speculating Camilla is leaving him and this is a coverup, or he’s being abused, or he has an eating disorder etc. It’s just double standards and it sucks.
@ana, I understand your point. However, Charles is making videos reading well wishers’ cards, taking meetings, going to the church in public. If they said he has cancer and we didn’t hear anything else from him, didn’t see him, everyone would gossip about he is dying or already dead and Camilla is running everything.
She is a public person, tax-payer supported public person. Also, the firm’s track record when it comes to married-in women isn’t the best. So, yes, the public wants a personal message from her to know she is ok. Like I said, if she is just trying to heal away from public, why is there a PR blackout, why are we not getting the usual articles about her as a mother, as a wife? I don’t see this as a concern trolling when there is a concern to be had. Everyone read the articles about K&W’s fights, how angry Will is all the time. If your colleague disappeared for medical reasons and you always heard about her husband’s temper, you would send a message to her too if she is ok, safe. It isn’t privacy invasion to check on someone.
It’s not a double standard at all though, at least not in this case. Charles released information about his condition. Camilla is proceeding in accordance with that information – she visited him at the clinic several times, she’s by his side as he goes to church, but otherwise she’s pretty much working like normal, accepting well wishes for Charles as graciously as *she* can, etc.
Meanwhile with Kate we get a vague statement about surgery with a really long recovery time that pretty much only matches up with something serious, William is appearing impaired in public and that is only after he was basically forced to make public appearances bc he also tried to take off for months. And then the final straw is his abrupt withdrawal from the memorial service this week. That’s without getting into the coma stories.
Again, no one is asking to see Kate’s medical charts. We’re not asking for Charles’ either. But charles has been more forthcoming about his medical issues while KP is…..well, it honestly just feels like they’re hiding Kate.
She should have at the very least, put out a statement thanking her caregivers and the public for their well wishes because she’s a public servant living a “life of service” on the taxpayer’s dime. She’s not a private citizen. She entered this very public taxpayer-funded life knowing the expectations, and she did so quite willingly. And in this case, men ARE expected to do the same thing, which is why Charles has been communicating as much as he can while maintaining some privacy about his condition.
People don’t want intimate details (that’s such a strawman), and honestly, they would be ok without a picture. They really don’t expect much more than occasional “Kate’s getting better week by week” from KP, and “thank you so much for the support.” They ask questions when such normal communications from public servants don’t happen, and they really ask questions when things get squirrelly (and oh boy are things at KP looking squirrelly these days).
Kate’s not being picked apart worse than Charles is because she has female parts, that’s ridiculous. She’s being picked apart because her behavior is markedly different than his has been. Just because she’s a woman doesn’t mean she’s exempt from criticism.
While I do think you make a point about double standards of men v women body and privacy expectations, you need to remember that Kate has brought much of this on herself. She chose to be in a public facing marriage (chased and waited for Will for YEARS) and she has continued to put herself “out there” by flashing her body (again, YEARS) for attention. Add to that she engaged in a heated smear campaign designed to dispose of her sister in law with whom she clearly felt was outshining her. Live by the sword…well, you know the rest.
i still don’t agree. i believe strongly in medical privacy even in public officials. these are deeply personal challenges (e.g. miscarriages, cancer, neurological conditions, trauma, mental illness etc.). and to expect someone recovering from an illness to give the public something just because she chose a public role is wrong. If Charles did these appearances then that’s his prerogative, but i don’t think he’s required to detail his health journey. Just because Kate has chosen to put herself in public facing roles in the past doesn’t mean there is no line anymore and we are entitled to the same amount of access ALWAYS. You can draw lines and expect it to be respected. I still think this expectation of always giving to the public and media is a heavier toll on women.
@BlueToile please don’t use phrases like “flashing her body for attention”. those are terms the public have used for eons to punish women and justify sexism.
@ana, I wish K&W made a statement when the press was calling her every name under the sun because she didn’t pose with her baby right after giving birth. Instead, they stayed silent while their sister-in-law was bullied by the press. One of the tabloids wrote: “we pay, you pose”. If we are talking about double standards, let’s talk about the different treatment between white and black duchess, because that one is actually real and happened in front of our eyes. There was no privacy for Meghan as a tax-payer funded public figure in UK, why should we treat Kate different now?
Kate did a podcast after Archie was born and she threw her sister in law under the bus by not saying Meghan has a right to privacy. She did the exact opposite and said she was grateful to do the baby presentation the same day.
So even Kate doesn’t believe other women deserve medical privacy.
Knowing now the depth and breadth to which Princess Diana was mistreated by her ex husband and the institution and then hearing in their own words the misery Meghan and Harry were required to cover up while “working royals”, I think there is a legitimate concern even from those of us who don’t like Kate (due to her behavior).
I can see others here along with myself want some assurance she has her mental and physical health needs properly attended to and that she is not being bullied or abused by the powerful and pervasive institution she has married into.
We don’t want to know every detail of her condition, just that she’s truly okay. There’s been plenty of strangeness surrounding her illness, ostensibly in the name of protecting her privacy, that makes anyone paying some attention wonder if something creepy is happening to her.
As Oprah famously asked Meghan “Were you silent…or were you silenced?”
@ana, people just want to know if she’s alive.
I agree with you that our society feels a collective ownership over women’s bodies and appearances in a different way than men experience.
I think in this case people are interested because usually Kate adores the cameras and PR, so radio silence is odd. It makes me curious what is so bad that someone who adores the camera and positive PR has suddenly decided to have absolutely NO visible public presence.
@ana, at what point is the public required to establish that someone who has disappeared from public view is actually okay? You’ve brought up important issues about how women who are public figures may be treated differently from men in similar situations. I’d like to add looking at race and economic class to the mix.
I’ve been a mandated reporter when child abuse is suspected. An example of this might be when a child enrolled in school hasn’t been seen in several days. As days turn into weeks, and then into months, at some point, most reasonable people would recognize that the school has a responsibility to do something to verify the well-being of the child. Calling CPS is often the legal and ethical way that this is handled.
I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this. I agree with you that Kate — like anyone — deserves to do what she wants while she heals. At what point, though, does the public, however you’d like to define that, have a responsibility to verify her well-being? Doesn’t even a privileged princess deserve that?
@Ana, obviously you can disagree. I get it. Your points about women’s privacy are valid, if not shared by Kate herself. What you don’t get to do is scold me for saying she has been flashing her body for attention, because that is 100% accurate and widely known. There was a time when I saw Kate’s bum more often than my own. Everyone has lost track of the number of times she refused to weigh her hems, wore thong undies, no slip, floaty skirts at a helicopter or windstorm, or (most recently) intentionally flashed her legs *up the top of her thighs* getting out of a limo at a STATE OCCASSION. This isn’t wearing a flirty slit skirt or low cut top for a night out. This is a woman at work representing her country and it’s completely inappropriate. I am all “down with the patriarchy!” too, but Kate has done this out of some cry for attention and it’s never really been addressed.
@BlueToile i’m glad you agree that i can disagree. my suggestion is to not use that phrase because it has been a phrase that is very triggering for a lot of women. it preludes arguments for decades that if a woman is “flashing her body” she deserves a bad outcome (usually physical abuse) in society.
It’s not about you feel or what you believe, though. This is her job. There are expectations and just like you or I can’t just take 8 months off for “surgery”, neither can a public official – without an explanation.
Also, all public officials give proof of life to stop the uncertainty that comes from speculation (the royals’ JOB is to offer comfort and certainty), and while you and others try to tamp down speculation through shame, it’s just not going to work. The entire global media is now speculating, for good reason.
Again, this is why professionals give a statement + offer proof of life.
So even if you were right that no one *should* speculate, this is what people do with public officials, right or wrong. Charles is handling this correctly. W and K are not.
Ana, KFC is the head of state. Bully Idle is the next in line. Now as an American the next in line to be head of state in the US is voted in and we don’t know until that’s done who it will be. With a Monarchy, the UK knows who is next in line. Indeed, the next in line and spouse are very much part of the public facing institution.
As the next head of state, he doesn’t get to be as private as he wishes he could. The response worldwide should be a clue. The Monarchy needs to decide what it is and how it wants the world to see it. As long as it is as it is now, they will have to be more public even if they don’t want to. That’s what we see here.
Frankly, I’m still at a loss about what value the Monarchy has, but I can see that there are those who place a high value on it. I suggest that Bully Idle comport himself with this in mind.
According to today’s Washington Post article, Kate is recovering from abdominal surgery and the public should leave her alone. Monica Hesse, the lifestyle columnist, wrote how Kate deserves her hiatus after being forced on the world’s stage in high heels and fake tan.
Ironic though how the public is made to be the bad guys while it’s people like hypocrite Hesse profits from penning articles about Kate. The fascination for this family would be far less if the family didn’t seek the publicity and the press went along with it.
Oy. It’s not only the tabloids, but mainstream press who are complicit. Hypocrites.
I usually like Hesse’s columns, but that was a swing and a miss. She writes that Kate more than earned her time off. As if.
I honestly don’t wish Kate harm — she has three little kids. But she’s a lazy, privileged person who helped to make Meghan’s life in England a torment.
The thing is, people don’t necessarily begrudge Kate time off, they’re questioning the lies coming from KP. Claiming otherwise is gaslighting from the press.
What a conflation by Hesse. No one is saying K doesn’t deserve time off for her illness,w hat ever it is. They’re saying they don’t believe KP and would very much like proof of life.
These drive by columnists who haven’t followed from the beginning are starting from the position that it *is actually Kate* demanding privacy and making her own decisions. We, the watching public, have no idea if that is actually true and the bizarre goings on around this situation do not point to POW having autonomy.
The fact that proof of life, has not been established after TWO MONTHS is concerning. It is a straw man argument to suggest people are demanding an exhaustive explanation of her medical situation, people are (rightly) suspicious that all is not well and want some assurance that Kate is O.K.
I’ve always thought this too. It explains everything: why she wouldn’t be allowed family visitors, indefinite and extended recovery timeline, no photos.
Everyone keeps posting that the kids aren’t in school – where is the proof on that? Is it just because we haven’t seen pictures of them at school? I thought there were never leaked pictures of them at school unless they were the yearly official photos for the first day of school? Has there been a leak from parents at the school saying the kids aren’t going there anymore that I’m not aware of (I imagine there are strict penalties in place for any parents that leak pictures or stories about the royal kids, so I would be surprised it his happened – but maybe that’s everyone’s course?). If they weren’t in school I agree it would be a game changer in terms of hypothesis what’s going on, but I’m confused where the proof is for this assertion
Isn’t that the whole point of this self-inflicted debacle? The lies. The obsfucation, deliberate or not.
The family created this drama. The press went along with it trotting out royal experts to lie even more about it.
So here you are, asking for proof of the kids’ schooling. Nuts!
The press is making a mint out of this because people who don’t even care about royalty are hooked. It’s a great big mystery. Well done Windsors and the rabid press.
Completely agree it’s a mess of the palace’s own making, but I’ve seen so many posts in the comments stating that the kids aren’t in school as if it’s fact so I want to make sure I haven’t missed what the source is of this assertion, or if it’s just a guess or assumption (and the basis for the guess/assumption). There has to be more to it other than that we haven’t seen pictures of them. Not seeing pictures of them my guy be strange if we normally see pictures of them at school, but we don’t right?
I get that it might be reassuring for the public to see they are ok. But we should ask ourselves why? Why does it matter? This is on Kate and all the adults around her. The children have been used by their parents quite enough.
I think it’s harmful for the children. I’ve always hated how the royals use their children from babyhood onward for their cynical needs. These children can’t run from the limelight. They weren’t given a choice to have a safe, secure, private childhood. Already the way the press and royal fans describe these children makes me nauseous. They imprint characteristics, often based on personal bias, on each child and just run with them. It doesn’t matter if none of it is true. What gets repeated often enough becomes the truth.
So yeah, I don’t want to see photos of the kids. They can be kept out of the press until they are of majority and I’m good with that. Because I think the treatment of these children is abusive. This goes for many YouTubers who make money off their kids.
@claire, commenters have said the kids are not in school but pretty sure that’s people guessing or having insider tea. AFAIK, there has been nothing from any sources in the BM saying the kids are not in school, except for the holiday time in sandrignham. My understanding is that the BM has stated, through sources, that William is doing the school runs. So it just depends on whether you believe the BM sources or not. But there has been no BM source saying the kids are not in school that I have seen unless someone has a link.
Kit, I personally don’t want to see pictures of the kids either, but want to understand the basis of so many people’s assertions that the kids aren’t in school (ie is it simply just because no pictures have been released of them at school – which actually isn’t strange, that’s normal is the point I was trying to make). Anyway, based on the responses I received I’m going to go ahead and assume that saying the kids aren’t in school is just a guess that seems to have little basis in anything.
I’m with you Claire. I think the problem is people don’t trust KP. They don’t trust the royal press. With good reasons.
So people want photos for reassurance. They want “proof of life.”
Other European monarchies have their share of mess but they handle their roles better. Partly I think because they aren’t trying to be a global brand. They ve long accepted their empire days are gone.
I notice reading through comments in big news dailies how much the Brits make fun of Americans and then you have American anglophiles or British ex pats living in the states gushing how great England is, how much better things are in the UK: no racism, no gun violence, everybody lives in manor houses, and knows how to drink proper tea, and thank god, the UK doesn’t have Trump. There was a kerfuffle over a proposed Jane Austen sculpture and the local Austen expert was against it and declared that such sculpture would invite Americans to over run the place for selfies. There seems to be a lot of displaced anger toward Americans. The Brits are probably PO for losing both American wars (too busy fighting the French and relying on German mercenaries to fight in their place). If they’d won, they’d be a superpower today. lol.
Anyway I digressed. Enjoy your weekend Claire.
Claire, if she’s seriously ill, I can’t imagine it would be a good idea to have the kids in school simply because the other children would be asking questions about their Mom. Now, George and Charlotte might be able to stay quiet and not say anything, but Louis is 5 (6 next month) and I doubt he would be able to.
I suspect home schooling the kids just makes sense. IF she is very seriously ill, the kids don’t need to have that added stress.
I think the stroke theory has legs because it would incapacitate her more than an abdominal issue would. I’m going to join the chorus with a personal anecdote. My friend who was 29 yrs old had a stroke and had to be placed in a coma, have brain surgery and 6 months later – still can’t speak and just started eating soft foods. William might have had a small break with reality if he went into denial of how severe this was. He is insisting she’ll be better soon, holding on to the communication with an iron fist and has threatened the Middletons to not leak anything.
This combined with his father having cancer could have forced him into a bit of a mental breakdown.
This would explain a lot of things but mostly on why she can’t speak for herself or take pictures or anything like that. He’s snapped and is in denial.
So tragic, although I actually thought the opposite in terms of speculation – some of the speculation before was that there might have been an overdose and everyone was wondering if William was partying with him, but I don’t see what any continued speculation would exist now that it’s a confirmed suicide. Feel terrible for his family.
Speculations will continue. That’s part of the tragedy.
This whole set up of BRF global branding, the need to be seen in order to be believe per QE2 and the Faustian bargain with the press created the public appetite for more. It’s like crack for royal fandom.
Truth is a casualty here. Left in the dustbins ages ago.
I admire Sarah Chatto for keeping much of herself and her children out of the limelight. The treatment of her mum is a cautionary reminder and the distance from the throne a blessing.
Sarah s brother David also stays out of the limelight.
It’s suicide. Not a suspicious shooting. I don’t see any speculation required and didn’t from the start; some of the theories were hugely lurid, involving William, drugs and so much more. This is a tragedy for the family, Windsor-related or not, and has no bearing on any drama other than a vast sadness for everyone close to him.
If it wasn’t for the rota immediately saying that William didn’t skip the memorial because of the death of his cousin’s husband then there would not be a connection, but they made sure to distance William from this tragic event with a quickness. Also ignoring how his in laws managed to attend.
To be fair, when a 45 year old drops dead people are going to ask questions. Add in the palace for some reason feeling the need to add that William didn’t miss his godfathers memorial because of this death, and it’s like they put a flashing light over it.
Very sad for his father and whole family, but his dad found him and that just breaks my heart.
I think people speculating about the ileostomy might be on to something, I honestly had no idea what it was so I did a quick Wikipedia and this would make sense as to her total disappearance from public view and not wanting to share this info with the public. I also think it’s mental health related too. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stays out of public view for the rest of her life or becomes like Empress Masako who pretty much disappeared from view for about a decade but remained married to her husband.
I wonder if during all this time this has made Kate reevaluate if waiting for the ring was worth it. I hope she’s okay.
I feel bad for her
Wish her complete healing and recovery
I do, too. There’s a lot of disappointment with her, particularly and rightfully so in relation to Meghan, but I wouldn’t wish what seems to have happened on my worst enemy.
Come on, this is getting silly. We have no idea what is really happening behind the scenes despite the conjecture. So comments about how tragic it is make little sense.
I believe this theory as well .Bolstered by William’s reluctance to be seen with his relatives, pulling out of his godfathers remembrance service for one
To me, “ill” and “recovering” are two different things. I think Kate is recovering from abdominal surgery but perhaps mentally ill.
Yes, you’re right. I’ve been thinking about the wording, as well. She would have been fighting a serious condition, possibly for years, and then had an associated emergency and resultant surgery. From then on she is surely recovering. Seriously ill sounds like she’s in a dubious state of recovery from something that wasn’t foreseen. Ill isn’t something associated with successful surgery; it’s far deeper. I’m sticking with abdominal and mental health collapse, but with something that went ‘wrong’ in surgery as an extra layer of pain. It’s very sad.
Yes. When I had my abdominal hysterectomy and was recovering at home, I wouldn’t have described myself as “ill”. I really don’t think those two words are interchangeable but the press seem to be using both words? Or is it just Bower?
For whatever reason, I actually don’t think the palace would have filled the royal rota in on her mental health. So if Bower is saying she’s seriously ill, I think he’s referring to something physical. I think there could also be a mental health component to everything that’s going on, but I feel like the press has likely only been filled in on some aspects of her physical ailments. Which has me going back to my thoughts that she may have had a stroke during or post an abdominal procedure that in and of itself may have been more routine (like for Crohn’s or an ulcer, or for several things). A stroke is something that it’s hard to know how long the recovery is going to take and what the ultimate prognosis will be, and Bower alluded that the recovery is probably going to be longer than they initially thought and made it sound like it might be a year or two in other parts of the interview
This is probably going to be a future case study in universities of how a PR disaster looks like. HM warned them, this forum warned them of consequences, but they’re soo arrogant to listen.
It´s probably anorexia, maybe she´s in rehab and they don´t want to talk about that cause Diana had an ED too.