The Royalty Nerd

On January 17th, Kensington Palace released a statement stating that the Princess of Wales had been admitted to hospital for a planned abdominal surgery. They stated that the surgery had been successful and that the recovery time would be long: she was expected to remain in the hospital for ten to fourteen days, and then home for her the remainder of her recovery. They are aiming for her to return to royal duties after Easter. You can read the official statement below:

Well, as with most things the Princess of Wales does, this set off a massive explosion of tweets, articles, news pieces, TikToks, etc. Everyone had something to say, and while most were sympathetic and kind, there was a large section of people that wanted more, and it’s annoyed me to the point where I’m writing this to get it out of my system.

What was the surgery? Why was she staying for so long? What was her diagnosis?

The answer to all of those questions is: none of our business.

This was only compounded by the news that King Charles III had been in the hospital for a benign prostate enlargement, and while dealing with that, tests revealed that the King had been diagnosed with cancer. This came on February 5th, so just over two weeks after the revelation regarding the Princess of Wales.

The King shared his diagnosis, which he is absolutely entitled to do. The Princess of Wales did not, which she is also absolutely entitled to do.

Women’s bodies are scrutinized endlessly. Women in the spotlight are especially thrown to the wolves of social media, where every dimple, pimple, roll, flake, or pound is examined and talked about.

Royalty is a full time, for life job. While there are many perks, there are also many restrictions. Her whole life has been a spectacle since she began dating William back in their university days, but this does not meant that we are entitled to every bit of information about them. Catherine is, however, entitled to privacy, just like me and you no matter how curious or gossipy we are.

That scrutiny doesn’t end with women’s bodies. The ferocious need to know every aspect of Catherine’s medical history is strong. Not just that, but many felt the need to place themselves in the narrative, to use their own experiences with various medical procedures as standard. Many tweets rolled out after the news of her hospitalization followed the same script:

‘I had xyz surgery and I was only in the hospital for xyz amount of time so therefore they’re lying about Kate!’

Women’s health is not taken seriously. Kensington Palace spelled it out for anyone doubting the story: they’re following ‘current medical advice’ regarding her treatment and recovery. But no! This Twitter user had their appendix removed five years ago so they definitely know better!

I am reluctant to share tweets of other regular people on here, but please take a scroll through Twitter/X if you don’t believe me, it’s there.

In case it’s not obvious, let me make it clear: we do not know Catherine’s diagnosis and we do not know the specifics of her surgery and recovery. So, using our own medical experiences does virtually nothing. Nothing is gained from speculation except for placing a woman dealing with health issues into the centre of talk and gossip. Leave her alone, and most importantly: leave her body alone. It is hers to live in, not yours.

Some tweets take on an ominous tone as well, stating that her ‘disappearance’ is sinister, that there is a Diana level of conspiracy here (don’t even get me started). The royal family is obviously up to something, and it’s not good, if you ask a certain subsection of royal watchers or even just casual gawkers. The truth is, the royal family has been upfront and honest about the Princess of Wales and her health since the beginning, going back to her pregnancies when she was dealing with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, but no one wants to admit that.

The tweets and news articles are now ratcheting up again because…? Because we all have goldfish memories apparently? Because we need something to talk about? Because joking about a woman’s health and wellbeing is funny? It’s anyone’s guess.

Where is Kate? Is she on vacation? Is she leaving William? Is she in a coma?

No. She’s at home. Kensington Palace literally said so in their statement.

This news was released on January 29th, stating that the Princess of Wales was now at home for the rest of her recovery. It’s actually a very clear statement: she is home and making good progress.

So the nasty Twitter rumours and conspiracy theories can take a seat. Where is the Princess of Wales? They told us. All the information that is needed is right there. Anything more than what the Wales family wants to release is an invasion of Catherine’s privacy.