Kate Middleton's uncle Gary Goldsmith is poised to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house on British TV even as Kensington Palace attempts to bat away queries on why she has not been photographed in more than two months.
The Princess of Wales had abdominal surgery on January 16 and aides always said she would take a back seat until after Easter.
However, that stance was under mounting pressure last week when social media speculation over her whereabouts went repeatedly viral, sparking a wave of jokes and memes.
Efforts by the palace to curate an atmosphere of respectful privacy around Kate could, however, be about to go up in smoke when her own uncle goes on Celebrity Big Brother, on British network ITV, on Monday evening.
U.K. tabloid The Sun reported that Kate's mother Carole Middleton was furious and had spoken to her brother about his decision in strong terms.
Meanwhile, the bombshell signing was already making waves in the British media which has spent much of the last week caught in a bind about whether and how to respectfully report the widespread social media outpouring about Kate.
Susanna Reid, host of Good Morning Britain, also on ITV, told viewers on Monday morning: "If he says anything about Kate it's going to make headlines and Kate is recovering and the palace do not want to be in the headlines."
Andrew Pierce, a columnist for the Daily Mail, is a regular guest on the show and replied: "They're keeping her out of the headlines. We haven't seen a photograph of her, so we haven't seen her since Christmas Day, the last time we saw her, when she was with the family.
"We had no idea she was about to have major surgery and it obviously was major surgery."
Reid added: "So it relies on Uncle Gary being discreet. And it relies on ITV observing the protocol."
"Well, why do they want him in that house if he's not going to be indiscreet?" Pierce said. "The whole world is interested because he is the uncle of the Princess of Wales."
British media has also speculated that his appearance could be awkward for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as Goldsmith is on record criticizing them.
Shortly after the Oprah Winfrey interview, in March 2021, he told The Mail on Sunday: "I've known Kate since she was born and she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. It's just simply not in her nature.
"She's even lovelier on the inside than on the outside. If anyone had a hissy fit, it must have been Meghan. Kate would have been trying to make the peace.
"I would fight for Kate's honor until the day I die. She is the most spectacular person I've ever met."
Meanwhile, royal fans could have a long wait before they next see Kate as the palace have previously said she will be out until after Easter, which if it covers the whole of the school vacation could mean the second half of April.
That could mean it will have been approaching four months by the time she was next seen in public, a full two months after the quiet respect for her privacy around a health issue completely disintegrated on social media.
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.
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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Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
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