Kate Middleton Secrecy Is 'Not Sustainable'

Kensington Palace's stance on Kate Middleton's absence on health grounds is "simply not sustainable in the long term," an anti-Monarchy group says.

The Princess of Wales has stepped back from royal duties while she recovers from abdominal surgery, which she had on January 16.

However, as her time out of the public eye passed two months, frenzied speculation on social media gathered around the idea that the palace were not being entirely candid.

Some suggested Kate was "missing" and in that febrile climate a paparazzi photographer got a picture of Kate that was sold by distribution agency Backgrid to U.S. tabloid TMZ.

However, even that image—likely to be viewed as an egregious violation of privacy by the palace—has not yet removed the speculation on social media.

Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, told Newsweek: "There will come a point when some better explanation as to her extended absence may be necessary.

"There is a line that it's starting to cross where we ought to know. They are public servants and we're their employers and therefore it's reasonable to have some understanding of what's going on.

"There shouldn't be a situation where they can just not tell us anything and leave it open ended where people are not going to be around for weeks, months on end."

The latest update from the palace came last week when they said Kate continued to be "doing well," followed by briefings to the effect that they had always made it clear they would not provide a running commentary and were not about to depart from that principle.

"There are questions that ought to be answered better than they've been answered before," Smith said. "The latest statement they came out with late last week when they said, 'we said we're not going to update you and that's not changed,' that is simply not sustainable in the long term.

"If she's not better by Easter and it continues and they continue to do this then clearly they need to start to explain what's going on."

He added: "If it was the Prime Minister or some other senior politician then there would be some expectation of clarity over whether they would be doing whatever it is they are paid to do."

Smith is not the only one calling for greater candour from the palace. Piers Morgan wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "If the Princess of Wales is now well enough to be out and about in a car—which is great news—she should kill the paparazzi market by releasing a picture.

"Bit absurd that the rest of the world is seeing the TMZ photo, but Brits whose taxes pay for the Royals can't."

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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