King Charles III is gradually returning to his public commitments. According to rumours, he is feeling better and the treatments, although difficult, are showing their first results, welcomed by British citizens and the international media with cautious optimism. There is no shortage of the usual conspiracy theories, a certain distrust of those who believe that the Royal Palace is hiding the truth about the King’s condition. His Majesty, however, tries to reassure people, showing serenity and a fighting spirit at every official event. The case is different Kate Middleton. For the moment there are no official updates on his health. After the announcement of her illness, the princess retreated behind a curtain of confidentiality, in a space off-limits to anyone, especially her brother-in-law Harry. Her subjects await her return with trepidation, but for now there is only silence around her and a few voices that tell us of a family overwhelmed by a storm of which she still does not see the end.
“We are all well”
Last April 30th Prince William attended the new opening of the James’ Place charity in Newcastle. A woman in the crowd who came to see him asked the heir to the throne: “Do you mind if I ask how your wife and children are?” William, maintaining the kind attitude that distinguishes him, replied: “Everything’s fine, thank you”. The lady replied: “And of course Catherine?”. The prince retorted: “We are all well”. Despite his availability, no one missed the lapidary tone of his comment and the very serious expression with which the prince pronounced it. Since March 22, 2024, the day she revealed to the world that she had cancer, Kate has withdrawn from the world to continue her treatment in peace at Adelaide Cottage. Since then Kensington Palace has not issued any medical bulletin, or any kind of update. This is why William’s terse statements aroused some suspicion. In truth, however, they prove nothing at all: the apparently shy behavior of the heir to the throne is not only completely understandable, given the situation, but would simply confirm the family’s line of conduct: absolute reserve.
“Going Through Hell”
“I’m heartbroken right now. I think they are really going through hell. I hope they can come back soon.”Amaia Arrieta, a designer who often took care of the outfits of the children of, commented to the Telegraph William And Kate, referring to the situation that the princes would be experiencing. This statement could create a certain alarm, but on closer inspection it does not necessarily imply that Arrieta knows unpublished details about Kate’s state of health. It seems that the designer is expressing her opinion of her, although she is probably very close to reality. Anyone who has fought against cancer or has, or has had, a person close to them who found themselves in this type of situation knows that in almost every case, even when the prospects for recovery are good, the path to face is long, exhausting, full of obstacles, uncertain, painful both from a physical and psychological point of view. Very often, even after fortunately resolving the situation, many people may look back and recognize that they have “went through hell”.
“Shocked by fake news”
In addition to the illness, William and Kate also had to face the tsunami of fake news that literally submerged the web and the tabloids. “[Il principe] he was upset and angry” due to the allegations about his wife’s health, a former member of the Palazzo staff revealed to People. He would, however, have managed to “keep them separate” from his duties and responsibilities towards his family. An insider, quoted again by People, added: “Whether you are a prince or a pauper, no one would expect to find themselves with their father and his wife being treated for cancer. William is doing his best.” The strength demonstrated by the heir to the throne derives, according to the journalist Valentine Low, from a character “resolute, sometimes stubborn”but also “by the importance given to family life”, which has become a sort of compass for his entire existence. In this regard, the expert Ingrid Seward also reiterated: “For William everything depends on Kate’s well-being [il principe] It is a priority to give her all the time she needs to recover and to support both herself and, in particular, the children.”
When will Kate return to her public duties?
A Palace spokesperson, quoted by People, explained: “The princess will return to her official duties when she has clearance from the medical team. She is in good spirits and focused on making her full recovery.” There is currently no return date dthe Kates. The first note from Kensington Palace, published on 17 January 2024, the day of the abdominal operation, predicted a return “after Easter”. That announcement, however, would have been written before the cancer diagnosis, at least according to the reconstruction of the facts reported by the tabloids. Now the situation has changed and is constantly evolving. The heir to the throne, however, has resumed work. “The Prince will continue to balance supporting his wife and family with managing his official duties, as he has done since the beginning of the year.”, a spokesperson pointed out to People. Many consider it a good sign that William toured Cornwall on 9 and 10 May 2024. In fact, it was the first night away from home since the announcement of his wife’s cancer.
“The sister I never had”
William’s trip to Cornwall, almost by association of thought, brings us back to the “Harry question”. The Duke, in fact, arrived in London last May 7, to participate in the function dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, which took place on May 8, 2024 in St. Paul’s Cathedral. But he hasn’t met anyone from his family. Charles III did not receive him due to too many commitments, William, as we have seen, was far from the capital. Above all, there was no contact with Kate right now when it would have been needed most. Apart from the formal, cold wishes for a speedy recovery sent by the Sussexes in the aftermath of the speech of 22 March 2024 delivered by Princess of Wales, there would have been no other attempt at rapprochement. A wasted opportunity, especially if we think that in his memoir, “Spare”, Harry wrote about Kate: “I loved my new sister-in-law. I felt that she was more than a sister-in-law, the sister I had never had and had always wanted…”. The prince, describing the impressions that his brother’s then girlfriend had communicated to her after their first meeting, said: “I liked his new girlfriend. She was carefree, sweet, kind.” The affection would have been mutual right from the start. What happened to that affinity, that bond that seemed so strong?
“You can forget about it”
“…It almost seems like Kate deleted the number [di Harry]while the King is not exactly champing at the bit” at the idea of seeing the Duke of Sussex, expert Daniela Elser wrote ironically in the New York Post. Elser also made a very interesting comparison in this regard: “Kate’s attitude towards any kind of meeting with Harry could be summed up by what Princess Anne said to the man who tried to kidnap her in 1974: ‘You can forget it’.” The reference is to the kidnapping attempt of which the daughter of the woman was the victim on 20 March 1974. Queen Elizabeth returning to Buckingham Palace after a charity event. Ian Ball, armed with two pistols, wanted to kidnap Anna to blackmail the sovereign, but fortunately his crazy plan was foiled by the princess’s security and some passers-by.
“Betrayed”
“William and Catherine feel betrayed by Harry’s memoir”an insider told the Daily Beast. “They are not talking to Harry and Meghan and they certainly won’t start now that Catherine is at her most vulnerable moment.” On the one hand, the Princes of Wales would be offended by the revelations contained in the Duke’s autobiography. On the other hand, Kate would like to avoid Harry seeing her now that her illness would have made her more fragile. It would not be a question of modesty, but of the fear that the prince might rush to reveal confidential information about his sister-in-law to the newspapers. A fear shared, it seems, also by Queen Camilla, who would have done everything to hinder a conversation between Charles III and Harry during the latter’s stay in London. “He no longer has faith in [principe]. I think King Charles is vulnerable. He might say something about his health”said royal expert Angela Levin.
“A thoughtful image”
Harry can do nothing but accept his relatives’ decision not to see him. There would be no point in insisting. Indeed, it would be counterproductive, because it would strengthen the distrust of the King and the Princes of Wales. There royal family and the tabloids might think that behind any obstinacy there may be a desire to resell the information gathered on Charles and Kate’s health to the media. Harry is isolated and excluded. This, on the other hand, as Daniela Elser pointed out, “it will hardly help his…caring image. She and Meghan’s as more emotionally attuned than the callous Windsors.”.
The expert commented: “No man is an island, wrote John Donne, but a duke who managed to burn every bridge on the horizon? That’s a whole other issue.”
