As a journalist who has covered five royal births, a royal wedding and a royal funeral in the last decade, I’m well-versed in the private – and not so private – lives of the Monarchy. Whether it’s the name of Meghan Markle’s favourite red wine and Kate Middleton’s favourite nail varnish brand and colour, to the intricate details of their wedding outfits, critics would say I’m one ‘a source reportedly revealed’ line away from describing myself as a ‘royal expert’. Believe me, I’ve long questioned my role and complicity in the coverage of the Windsor family.
But now, there’s a fevered focus on one of The Firm’s most widely loved ‘employees’ that speaks to the rather sinister extent of our royal obsession, and exposes a public that’s been brainwashed into thinking it has the right to know the most intimate details of those living behind royal gates.
In January, Kensington Palace announced that Kate Middleton underwent a 'planned abdominal surgery’ and had returned home to Windsor ‘to continue her recovery from surgery’. ‘She is making good progress,’ the statement read, adding that the surgery was ‘successful’ and that the Princess of Wales would remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days. 'Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.'
It isn’t the only royal health story to hit the headlines this year. Kensington Palace’s statement was followed a month later with the news from Buckingham Palace that King Charles had been diagnosed with a form of cancer and that he was undergoing treatment. In the weeks that followed, the Palace shared photos of the Monarch reading Get Well Cards from the public, meeting with the likes of PM Rishi Sunak, and revealing that the well-wishes had ‘reduced’ the royal to tears. In promoting the well health of His Majesty, it only served to highlight the deafening silence over the Princess of Wales’.
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The absence of a Kate ‘sighting’ in the wild, in additional to a drought of health updates from Kensington Palace, has kindled a fiery debate and curiosity among the British public over the royal’s whereabouts. Many of the theories have been humorous and light-hearted. ‘Not a single Banksy since Kate Middleton disappeared. Coincidence?’ read one conspiratorial tweet, as #KateMiddleton became one of the trending hashtags of this week. Another joked: ‘It’s okay everyone, I’ve figured out where Kate Middleton is’, with a screenshot noting that it takes ‘three to four months’ to grow a fringe out. Others mused that she’s undergone a Brazilian Bum Lift (BBL) surgery, on a ‘mission to the moon’, ‘done a Gone Girl’, and that she’s dating Pete Davidson.
But some of the theories have left a more bitter taste. Among them include toxic theories that suggest that somehow Queen Camilla has orchestrated Kate’s disappearance, speculation that she was receiving treatment for an eating disorder, being held hostage, or that she was divorcing her husband, Prince William.
In the last week the Palace has been quick to state that Kate was ‘doing well’ in an attempt to quieten online commentators. Not long after, grainy paparazzi images of the royal on an outing with her mother, Carole Middleton, appeared in the foreign press. Then came the Ministry of Defence’s claim on its website that as Colonel of the Irish Guards, Middleton’s first post-surgery official duty would be the Trooping The Colour on June 8 (it has since removed this statement). Rather than close the doors to speculation, the new updates and images of the Princess have only held them wide open.
Contrary to Buckingham Palace’s coverage of King Charles’ health, it appears Kate’s royal household has purposefully remained tight-lipped when it comes to releasing information – private information, I’d like to add – about her wellbeing to the masses. It might be a strategy that’s inadvertently kicked the rumour mill into overdrive, but it would suggest that Kensington Palace’s communications department is at least attempting to set a different precedent from its predecessors when it comes to sharing minute details about royals’ lives.
Rather than point fingers at Kensington Palace’s communications strategy, we should question what the growing intrigue, ‘likes’, tweets and punchlines about Kate (largely about her appearance, let’s not forget) say about the intense scrutiny that female members of the royal family must endure to satiate our growing hunger for entertainment.
For years, the British media and public has demanded an excess of personal information from the royal family. It’s hard to forget the photocalls Kate was subjected to, hours after giving birth, holding her new-born babies outside the Lindo Wing. On the flip side, critics chastised Meghan Markle for choosing not to announce the birth of their child to the public as it happened, rather delaying the news and showing his face two days later. They’re damned if they do, damned if they don’t. For a family regularly criticised for appearing robotic and overly polished, do we expect the royals to post selfies with thumb ups from their hospital beds, and detail their medical procedures with first-page exclusives? Or, if they did, would we inevitably criticise them for trying to appear too authentic, too honest, or God forbid… human.
At a time when women’s rights continue to be abused and violated, and their reproductive health debated in the court of law, do royal women not possesses the same bodily autonomy and right to freedom and privacy we, the public, fight for? If Kate’s health frenzy suggests anything, it is that society is convinced her A-list status strips her of such a privilege.
Of course, the royals aren’t alone in having their public health records discussed by strangers over pints in the pub. Last year, pop star Ariana Grande felt compelled to address so-called fans’ concerns about her physical appearance. ‘For me, the body that you've been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body,’ she said on TikTok. 'I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy, but that, in fact, wasn't my healthy.' More recently, Gossip Girl actor Michelle Trachtenberg responded to debate over her health, noting on Instagram: 'I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.'
Middleton might be the most recognisable woman on the planet. We might have seen photos of her hours after giving birth, waving on her wedding day, and walking down the runway as a university student in a sheer dress. But heightened visibility doesn’t mean she can’t remove herself from the camera lens and prying eyes of the public – for whatever reason – without justification. Nor does it give us the right to demand to know updates about her health or geo-location, 24/7.
In a modern world where demand is catered to at the swipe of a screen, perhaps it’s time we ask ourselves whether more information and transparency about those in the public eye is healthy for anyone. It’s time I certainly did.
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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
