The Times of London has been burying information about the Princess of Wales in their coverage of King Charles for the past week or so, as I pointed out in a previous post. Sources indicate that Kate is “expected to be away from public duties for some time” and that William is brave and courageous for… having a wife with health problems. This is what I will continue to underline about the wacky messaging from Kensington Palace: the stories are never about “Kate’s brave cancer battle” or “Kate’s courage in handling her health issues.” The centering of William, William’s bravery, William’s courage, how WILLIAM is doing, it’s all very strange, to say the least.
In a Times piece last weekend, a “friend of William” dropped this unhinged quote: “I don’t know how he managed to keep doing all of that, knowing what he was going through, while the world was ridiculing and throwing sh-t at his wife while she was having chemotherapy. That speaks to his character, grit and determination to go out there and do the job that is expected of him. He has taken most of it on the chin and got on with it.” As I said, very recent royal history is being rewritten before our eyes, like we don’t have receipts on how all of this sh-t really went down. Well, People Magazine also got some calls, because they’re mirroring these same talking points of how hard it was for William to see social media explode with speculation about Kate.
Prince William felt frustrated by the social media firestorm surrounding Kate Middleton’s health earlier this year. Before the Princess of Wales, 42, disclosed her cancer diagnosis, she stepped out of the public eye following an abdominal surgery in January. Despite the palace sharing that she wouldn’t return to public duties for several months, conspiracy theories spread online questioning her health and whereabouts.
The rumors left Prince William, 41, feeling “upset and angry,” a former staffer tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s cover story, adding that the future king has managed to “compartmentalize it.”
“William is strong-minded, stubborn sometimes. That, and his emphasis on family life, will give him the backbone and strength to get through this,” says Valentine Low, author of Courtiers.
The Prince of Wales needs that focus now more than ever. Princess Kate’s health, which she has not elaborated on in terms of cancer type, presents the most significant challenge among several hurdles William has faced this year. As he treads the tightrope of duty to his young family and to that of his country, Prince William’s primary focus is steadfastly supporting his wife.
“For William, everything hinges on Kate’s well-being,” says royal biographer Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I.
William was “angry and upset” at the rumors about Kate, so his answer was to have Kensington Palace lie about her condition, draw attention to the weird situation by skipping his godfather’s memorial, manipulating a palace-issued Mother’s Day photo (and blaming cancer-stricken Kate for it) and staging all of those crazy photos with at least one Fake Kate? Like, they really think that the word “cancer” washes away all of William’s shenanigans here? He didn’t compartmentalize jacksh-t either.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.