The public's desire for updates about the Princess of Wales during her cancer treatment will require Kensington Palace to be proactive if it is to avoid a repeat of the social media storm that developed in the information vacuum following her January abdominal surgery, according to Newsweek's Royal Report podcast.
On March 22, Kate Middleton announced in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing a course of "preventative chemotherapy." The princess asked for "space and privacy" to focus on her treatment and to make a "full recovery."
If the staff at Kensington Palace maintains a "no comment" position throughout Kate's treatment, this could encourage a second spike of speculation and conspiracy theories, Jack Royston, Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, warned on the podcast.
"I don't think we're going to see Kate back on full-time duties anytime soon. I think it is going to be months, not weeks, that this carries on," he said. "So, my question is: Does there come a point when the public starts to want an update?
"Kate has said that she doesn't want to engage with things that are going to interfere with her healing, which I totally understand," Royston continued. "But the trouble with what happened over the past month or so is that it developed a life of its own. Social media became an unignorable force, an unstoppable force that meant she kind of had to engage. So how will the palace deal with it if it does all ramp up again?"
Royston said proactivity could be crucial for Kensington Palace and a critical next step.
"I think the palace should consider whether giving tiny little updates at intervals will actually be the less stressful thing in the long term," he said.
"This was kind of the point originally...that you can say, 'Well, it's stressful for me to do a picture or a video and I don't want to have that stress in my life right now.' But if the radio silence causes social media to go insane to the point that it's no longer ignorable, then obviously in the long run it's more stressful to have that experience than it is to just do the photo and stop it getting ridiculous again," he said.
Newsweek reached out to Kensington Palace via email for comment.
Following Kate's announcement last month, no official updates on the princess's health have been issued by the palace. A statement issued March 23 thanked well-wishers for their support and once again stressed the request for privacy.
"The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the U.K., across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness' message," a Kensington Palace spokesperson said. "They are extremely moved by the public's warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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