Royal aides speak out over ‘madness’ of Kate Middleton conspiracy theories
Royal aides have condemned the ‘madness of social media’ after it became flooded with conspiracy theories about the health and whereabouts of the Princess of Wales.
Kate has been out of the public eye for two months while she recovers from abdominal surgery and while there have been no substantive further updates on her condition, Kensington Palace insists she is ‘doing well’.
That void of information and pictures of the princess – especially coupled with the openness shown by Buckingham Palace in relation to the King’s cancer diagnosis – has allowed speculation to swirl.
Among the wild and wacky theories circulating online include her lying in a coma, undergoing the process of being cloned, waiting for a bad haircut to grow out and having ‘Brazilian butt lift’ work done.
The speculation has become so rife that royal aides have now stepped in to try and quash it, The Sun reports.
They told the newspaper: ‘We were really clear from the start we weren’t going to provide a running commentary on the Princess of Wales’s health and only provide significant updates.
‘Obviously, we’ve seen the madness of social media and that is not going to change our strategy.
‘There has been much on social media but the Princess has a right to privacy and asks the public to respect that.’
Kensington Palace previously said in a statement: ‘The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate.
‘She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.
‘Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.
‘The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements.
‘She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.’
In contrast to the privacy conveyed by the Wales’ team, King Charles has been pictured entering and leaving hospital with the Queen, while the public was also given a rare glimpse into his in-person audience with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Speaking to the Telegraph, a palace aide pointed out: ‘It’s important that not only do we say he’s performing those duties, but he’s seen to be performing those duties.’
On the differing approaches taken by the two palaces in respect of the royals’ health woes another source told the newspaper: ‘The public just doesn’t know what to expect.
‘One day they’re hearing all about the King’s prostate, the next they’re not hearing why William has missed his godfather’s memorial. Neither of those approaches are necessarily right or wrong, but you can see why the general public are confused.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.