I don’t know if the Guardian and their readership are indicative of a larger shift in how people speak about the Princess of Wales, but it absolutely feels like no segment of the population enjoyed Kate’s “cancer-free” video. Last week, the Guardian published a nuanced essay written by Hilary Osborne about what life is really like after cancer and chemotherapy. I didn’t cover it at the time, because many commentators were making the same point – that literally no one can relate to Kate’s glossy, asinine commercial. Well, the Guardian got a lot of letters about Osbourne’s essay and they are uniformly critical of Kate’s video. The video is called “jarring and somewhat smug,” inappropriate and a “mistake.” They’re calling out Kate’s privilege too.
Meanwhile, Kensington Palace is still furiously sending out talking points to friendly commentators, trying to mitigate the damage done to William and Kate’s images following the video. Jennie Bond got a call! She’s reiterating a talking point made by Kate’s team on her 40th birthday, which is that Kate is deeply committed to doing f–k all until all of her kids are in college.
“Catherine has made it clear that from now on, more than ever, her family will come first,” Jennie Bond, the former BBC Royal correspondent, told OK!. “She will return to work slowly, on her own terms, and William will completely support her in this. I don’t think he will exert any pressure whatsoever on her to increase her workload, because the days of duty taking precedence over everything have passed.”
Jennie also noted, “This doesn’t mean she intends to be only part-time forever because these days there are other ways to be visible… Video messages and social media posts are all ways she could still be in touch and give her support to her causes, while still being there for her children.”
“In 12 or so years, when Catherine’s full recovery will hopefully be well-established, the children will probably all be off into further education, and then she can concentrate more on her work…But until she feels comfortable taking on more, we must be patient. We should spare a thought for those children. Yes, I know they have been born into huge privilege, but they have a grandfather with cancer, a grandmother who was killed before they were born, a mother the centre of their world who has been made vulnerable by this sledgehammer of a disease, and a dad who is battling all sorts of emotions while trying to do the best for his family and his country. Those children deserve to have their mum with them for as long as they need her.”
“I think it’s almost certain we will see her on Remembrance Day, if she’s well enough,” Jennie predicts. “There are also plans for her to host her annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, which should be a joyous occasion, and I’m sure many senior members of the royal family will want to support her.”
I remember Kate’s 40th birthday extravaganza so well – that was in early 2022, when Kate authorized no fewer than two dozen major stories about how she’s a goddess who walks on earth but she’s also so relatable and she’s also better than Meghan, for reasons. At the tail end of the extravaganza, Kensington Palace then briefed outlets that despite all of the keenery, Kate had zero intention of stepping up and working more. Omid Scobie said that in Endgame too, that all of the palace briefings about Kate for years have been about how she will not “step up” until her kids are in their 20s. My point is that this is not specific to Kate’s health issues – it’s always been the plan, and Kate has never worked as hard as a Top CEO or prioritized royal work or charity work.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.