That is the big question. What’s wrong with Kate Middleton? The Princess of Wales remains in hospital after undergoing “scheduled abdominal surgery” last week, Kensington Palace reported on Wednesday. “Scheduled.” The use of this word is not trivial. If it is scheduled, it means that the operation was planned, and that it was not the result of an emergency. But even so the alarms have gone off. Especially since her convalescence will be long and she has mobilized Prince William, his parents and even his sister Pippa. She’s not expecting it until after Easter. Therefore, if the intervention has not caught the British royal house by surprise, it is also true that it is not a trifle.
And therein lies the crux of the matter. There is nothing worse than a lack of information to encourage speculation. Because no one knows what has happened to Princess Catherine, 42, who was smiling, elegant and graceful, as always, at the Christmas celebration with the rest of the royal family, which has become her last public appearance.
The same official statement indicated that “she wants the public to understand her wish for her personal medical information to remain private.” This is how it has been written and this is how it has been done. At the moment, there are no known leaks and the exclusive clinic where she is still admitted with her long postoperative period (between ten and fourteen days), is shielded.
More indicative that has worried British subjects: the Prince of Wales has canceled his engagements to remain with his wife and take care of his three children. And that happens at a time when he had to show more chest than ever. Because Murphy’s law exists. And the mysterious operation of the future queen coincides with another highly relevant intervention, that of King Charles III himself, who will undergo surgery this week after detecting an enlarged prostate.
The monarch has made his illness public, as has his former sister-in-law, Sarah Ferguson (who is still the Duchess of York), who has just announced that she suffers from malignant melanoma. Her diagnosis comes shortly after overcoming breast cancer that led her to undergo a mastectomy and breast reconstructive surgery.
Both the king and duchess made their medical diagnoses public because they know that they are in the media spotlight and that their example contributes to raising awareness among the population about these ailments in order to promote routine check-ups and early prevention, crucial in these treatments. And the results have not been long in coming. An example: worldwide searches for prostate enlargement have skyrocketed.
Curiously, this has not been the case of Kate Middleton, the person who has recently contributed the most to modernizing the image of the British royal house. To popularize it. An admired woman, the great letter of introduction of the British monarchy after the crisis generated by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. She has the third best rating of the Windsors according to the latest YouGov survey with 72% approval, almost tied with Princess Anne, with 73%, and with her husband William, the best rated with 74%. The three, very prominent compared to the king, who enjoys 60%, and the queen, with 47%.
The British media already says it. Kate Middleton is irreplaceable. And she will be greatly missed during the long period of convalescence. The Telegraph even notes that she has become essential to the British royal house. “The Princess shines like no other; “she is the star of her generation”, she “she is the woman of the moment”, the media values.
It’s a pity that he did not dare to go one step further with his illness taking into account its public projection. While it’s understandable that he wants to keep her private, it’s been a missed opportunity. For the image of her, now less close, locked in a hermeticism that many do not understand. And for those she could have benefited by sharing her ailment. Unless its severity requires this caution… That is what opacity has. It generates the inevitable guesses. As grateful and beneficial as transparency is…
