Royal honesty about cancer diagnoses conveys a stoicism that is beyond the understanding of shameless, nasty conspiracy theorists
This year's announcements from The King and The Princess of Wales have shocked the nation, but a deplorable minority on social media have behaved in a disgraceful manner.
Yesterday’s announcement from Catherine, the Princess of Wales, that she is undergoing treatment following a cancer diagnosis understandably shocked the nation. For anyone anywhere in the world, receiving this news is distressing, knowing you have got it — the c-word. Of course you cannot be sure; but we often like to think it won’t happen to us, even though we know this most fateful of illnesses affects millions of people worldwide every year. We know it happens but we hope it doesn’t affect us. But for Catherine, a member of the Royal Family since her marriage to Prince William in 2011, the extent to which her illness will be analysed, examined and explored is on a scale unknown to those millions suffering from cancer worldwide.
It was revealed on January 16 this year that Catherine had undergone planned abdominal surgery at the London Clinic where she would stay for a further two weeks. She would, according to Kensington Palace, not return to public duties until around the Easter period in order to recover. It was, at the start of February, that His Majesty the King received a cancer diagnosis himself when being treated for an enlarged prostate (though this was not a diagnosis of prostate cancer, it was disclosed).
But in the case of the Princess of Wales, what has taken over since the news of her planned abdominal surgery in January is something much more than worrying. In fact, it has been ghastly and horrendous to watch as a member of the public; imagine the royals’ situation as a family where press attention is convention but at a time of deep worry following these two cancer diagnoses for His Majesty the King and now the Princess of Wales.
Because of her gradual retreat from public duties due to her surgery, speculation mounted on social media, as was expected, but the scale of it has escalated to a level that is neither healthy nor fair. The conspiracy theories peddled have been utterly deplorable.
In turning to the here and now, with news of Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, those who peddled shameless false narratives about the Princess’s retreat from royal duties — such as falsely alleging the breakdown of the Waleses marriage — are now nowhere to be seen. The keyboard warriors, those who spout utter nonsense behind a smokescreen, speculated to the extreme. Instead, the Princess was doing everything she could to protect her family by telling them about her recent cancer diagnosis, especially the Waleses’ three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. For that, she will receive undoubtedly the praise and admiration of millions in seeking to protect her children, for whom she, like millions of parents, cares deeply.
What Catherine asked for in her video message released yesterday was “some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment”. For months there has been speculation on a shamefully unfair scale; instead, someone — a woman, a mother, and a wife — was coming to terms with a recent diagnosis of cancer.
Let us wish that those who have created wholly untrue narratives reflect and learn from this experience, although I believe that may be wishful thinking. Let us hope they remember that, as they type a limited amount of characters into a social media post, there are individuals at whom their obnoxious remarks are aimed — and whose feelings as humans, royal or not, remain parallel to the rest of us. And lastly — and most importantly of all — let us hope and wish that the Princess of Wales, along with His Majesty the King, both undergo a speedy recovery and treatment at this most difficult of times.