Kensington Palace felt “tension” announcing Kate Middleton’s cancer prognosis amid the tsunami of conspiracy theories, a royal insider said.
“Courtiers: Intrigue, Ambition and the Power Players Behind the House of Windsor” writer Valentine Low opined that the “madness that ensued” after the Princess of Wales’s belly surgery in January may have hastened the announcement. .
“They probably felt the pressure to announce it,” Low told Page Six in an exclusive interview. “It was very difficult to bear it in the future, they wanted to say something.”
She underwent a “deliberate surgical procedure” earlier this year.
“The surgery was successful and she is expected to remain in hospital for ten to 14 days, before returning home to continue her recovery,” a statement on Instagram read, adding that Middleton, 42, “is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
The statement also expressed the royals’ desire to “maintain as much normality as possible for their children.”
She and Prince William, 41, have three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
More and more bizarre conspiracy theories emerged in the following weeks, exacerbated by a clumsily Photoshopped family photo that was released on Mother’s Day in the UK.
Royalty’s unmissable extra protection:
The sighting of Middleton and Prince William shopping at a local food store in Windsor did nothing to quell the frenzied speculation.
Conspiracy theories were put to rest on Friday when the princess appeared in a video and shared her cancer prognosis.
The princess confessed that the news was “a big shock” and that “it took me a while to get better from the main surgery to start treatment”.
“However, most significantly, we took time to clarify everything for George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that was acceptable to them and to reassure them that I will be fine.”
“As I told them, I am doing well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that can help me heal, in my mind, body and spirit.”
This isn’t the first time Middleton has been pressured to talk about her health.
As Low noted, the palace revealed that the princess was affected by hyperemesis gravidarum, a serious type of morning sickness, while she was pregnant with George and Charlotte.
“Kate is very tough and has very strong opinions about defending her privacy,” Low explained.
He also believes the couple “probably thought they finally wanted to say something.”
“They probably thought they couldn’t go on without saying anything, you can’t keep doing that.”
He also noted that “there are going to be a lot of people who feel very chastened this weekend.”
“They’re going to feel really bad about themselves, as they need to.”
