Royal Fans Brutally Criticize The Palace Following Kate's Cancer Diagnosis
Kate Middleton's shocking and devastating cancer announcement has royal fans pretty displeased with the Kensington Palace. Considering that chemotherapy treatments are a valid reason for secrecy and absences, royal enthusiasts are furious that the palace let Kate take the fall for the Photoshop mishap that occurred on Mother's Day in the U.K. On March 10, 2024, Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate, who'd been out of the public eye since the end of January after undergoing abdominal surgery, and her three children to celebrate the occasion. However, it didn't take long for royal fans and critics alike to spot that the image had been edited, leading to heavy backlash and increased speculation about what was really going on. The next day, the same account admitted to editing the image, issued an apology, and signed off with a "C," presumably for Catherine. However, rather than quashing the controversy, this only led to increased scrutiny.
Kate's admission to editing the suspicious portrait was seen as "inexcusable" by many fans on X, formerly Twitter, and led to a lot of anti-Princess of Wales campaigns, which is why royal fans are upset. "Kate Middleton just revealed she has cancer and is undergoing chemo, which makes the palace blaming the photo editing on her even weirder," one X user tweeted. Another user questioned the rationale behind their strategy: "Serious Question — why didn't they just say that 'Kate Middleton has cancer' rather than supplying the public with obviously fake videos & pictures?" Understandably, royal fans don't believe the Kensington Palace is the only villain in this story.
Royal fans are unhappy with other members of the royal family
Beyond Kensington Palace's actions, some royal fans have taken offense to how the royal family has behaved while Princess Kate battles cancer. One X user wrote: "Over the past 3 months, royals/family were living their best lives: skiing, holidaying — parading in bikinis on front pages, going to CBB, going to horse races & to the F1 abroad, even one with breast cancer, a queen, whose husband has cancer, went on holiday." Others took umbrage at Prince William's absence from Kate Middleton's video as well as his appearance at social events in the midst of Kate's struggles.
Some users even doubt the authenticity of Kate's video, suggesting that it could be another AI-generated deepfake. One popular conspiracy even suggests that the entire revelation could be a PR strategy to make royal fans feel bad for the criticism that has been thrown Kate's way recently. "They want us to feel terrible. They want us to spend the next few days hating on each other for the memes and the speculation. Don't fall for it," one X user posted, generating hundreds of likes.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have also been heavily criticized
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have not been exempt from the fury surrounding the Princess of Wales' bombshell announcement. Eight days before Kate Middleton shared her health struggles, Meghan launched a new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. Now, royal fans are theorizing that the Duchess of Sussex could have done this out of spite. "So now the question is, did Meghan Markle know her sister-in-law had cancer when she decided to launch her lifestyle brand in the middle of Kate's health emergency?" one X user asked. Others opined that "Kate's prolonged and worrisome convalescence *wasn't* the right time" for Meghan to launch her brand.
Another royal fan dubbed Kate's actions in the video as the epitome of "class, grace, humility, and dignity," urging Meghan to follow in her footsteps. In response, Harry and Meghan released a statement wishing Kate "health and healing" in privacy and peace. Despite the mystery shrouding the Princes of Wales' health, our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family during this difficult time.