Special: Addressing the Wild Speculation and Conspiracies Regarding Princess of Wales' Hospitalization

Prince William visits his wife while she recovers from abdominal surgery

The hospitalization of the Princess of Wales has resulted in grave concern, but also a lot of wild speculation and conspiracies. While some of it can be helpful, at times, most of it has not. The concern for the Princess and her health is palatable, but there’s a fair amount of mistruth or ignorance clouding the discussion. So to help dispel some of the confusion, here are some responses to the most common topics of discussion.

Credit: Associated Press

• If the Princess “planned” this surgery, why does she need to reschedule engagements? Isn’t that rude to schedule surgery and yet also make arrangements to visit her patronages that she’ll have to cancel? When the Kensington Palace team crafted their statement, they probably didn’t realize how much this would be dissected and turned against the Princess, but the answer is simple. Yes, this surgery was a sudden situation, but it wasn’t emergency surgery. To arrange for a procedure, that does take time, especially if testing is involved and the doctors need to firm down their diagnosis and method of treatment. If they go into the situation blind, that could do more harm than good. The Palace simply meant that she wasn’t immediately rushed into an emergency, life-saving surgery, but it was sudden enough that they had to clear her calendar from previously scheduled engagements. This includes one that was announced a week ago for February.

• Why didn’t they wait to announce her hospitalization until after she had returned home to avoid press stationed outside the hospital? The answer here is simple: the Palace simply could not wait any longer. Royals all over Europe are back and working, if Catherine remains in the hospital for the full two weeks, we would not hear anything about her until February. By that point, the speculation would be out of control. The Palace simply had no other option than to go public now, though they rightly waited until after the surgery was completed.

• Since Prince William will be caring for Catherine and King Charles has his own medical procedure for an enlarged prostate, does that mean they’ll need Harry to act as a Counselor of State? No. There are five other people who can act as Counselors of State: HM The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice. The Palace would call all of them, including Andrew (though it’s highly unlikely), before Harry. This is why they amended the Letters of Patent to make Prince Edward and Princess Anne Counselors of State. That way they have more options available.

• Will Prince Harry and/or Meghan Markle to try and travel to the U.K. to help the royals while Catherine and Charles are indisposed? No, just no. Prince Harry has left the royal family and he’s damaged relations too much to rejoin the working royal fold at this point, especially if he’s still married to Meghan. Also, he has a pointless award to pick up for being an alleged Living Legend of Aviation on January 19, which he would not want to miss. He needs events like these to feel important so he’s unlikely to skip it for the sake of family, as he’s proved over the last four years that his ego comes first. In other circumstances, like if Harry and Meghan had left the royal family on good terms and had behaved in these last four years, things may have been different. But alas, at least for the royals who probably wouldn’t mind additional hands, that’s not the case.

• King Charles will elevate Princess Beatrice as a working royal. Though she would be a fine working royal and the Brits definitely need a younger working crowd, it’s highly unlikely that Charles would elevate her. Catherine’s sidelining is temporary and it would be hard to ask Beatrice to help and then shove her to the background again. But having the two youngest working royals, Catherine and William, out of commission once again emphasizes the British royal family’s age problem due to the vacuum left by Harry and Meghan.

• Saying the surgery was serious or major is speculating and an invasion of privacy. Reading through the statement released by the Palace, there are logical conclusions that can be reached about the Princess’ situation. It was clearly major surgery and likely prone to post-operative complications, given her longer than average hospital time. Her very long recovery time also reflects that the surgery was invasive and impacted the abdominal muscles, which will need a significant amount of time to heal. This does not mean that she can’t make a full recovery, though that wasn’t specified in the statement, but that this definitely was a serious surgery that will impact the Princess’ life. Now, to discuss what she is being treated for is too far, of course, but it’s clear that this was not something minor. It’s clear even when comparing the language between the statement regarding Catherine vs. Charles. In Charles’, the PR team makes it clear that he is having a “procedure,” while for Catherine it is “surgery.” Sometimes those terms are used interchangeably, but given that the releases were largely coordinated it’s clear that the words were carefully chosen and show the differences between the two.

• Does the Princess have cancer? No. Though we don’t know the exact diagnosis, Rebecca English and other royal reporters have clarified that the Palace confirmed to them Catherine’s health condition was not cancerous.

• Did Catherine undergo a cosmetic procedure like a tummy tuck? No. Again, if this was an entirely elective procedure she could have had it in late summer, when the royal schedule slows down, or around Christmas. That she didn’t is another indication that this situation was sudden. Also, Catherine has abs most women could only dream about, so the idea of a tummy tuck or another cosmetic procedure reflects more on the speculator than the Princess herself.

• Did the Princess skip the NHS cue for surgery, even though it was completed at a private hospital? What about other people who have to wait weeks or months for surgery? This gets tossed around by anti-monarchists and others but it is worthy of discussion. Simply, the NHS issues are a policy problem, not a royal one. If the Brits think the NHS takes too long to address health concerns, that is something they should take up with their local Member of Parliament. Catherine is a woman of wealth, regardless of her royal status, so she can choose not to use the NHS, like any other wealth person or those who want to pay for private care. And since she is not skipping the NHS cue, she is also not interfering with those who also need surgery and are waiting. For her to be shamed for that is ridiculous.

• Why are journalists and camera crews camped outside The London Clinic where Catherine is being treated? Is the media needlessly invading the Princess’ privacy? This is a complex question, as yes, it seems unnecessary and invasive to have cameras staked outside the hospital, as this violates the Princess’ and other patients privacy. However, the Palace also must somehow manage the public's interest and not have it devolve into a situation like in 2012, when a nurse committed suicide after falling victim to a prank concocted by an Australian radio channel to try and get information on Catherine while she was pregnant with George. The reality that the royal’s do have to placate the media by sometimes driving past in order to highlight their visit, and yet, it also seems utterly ridiculous at the same time.

• If something happens to Catherine and William, does that mean that Prince Harry will take custody of the Waleses children? No, and this is needlessly morbid. There is likely a plan in place if this should happen, and it probably will not involve Harry. The Middletons, Tindals, Phillips, the Edinburghs and probably even Beatrice and Eugenie are options over Harry and Meghan, regardless of whatever constitutional requirements might exist. If the worst should ever happen, changes would be made to ensure that the children would be under the care of the most appropriate person or couple, which would not be Harry or Meghan. To speculate otherwise is rather morbid and utterly unnecessary.

Perhaps more information will become available in the future, but these are the most common questions and concerns floating around social media. Hopefully, despite all the wild speculation and conspiracies surrounding her personal health, she can take some time to rest and recuperate. Royal watchers everywhere can look forward to seeing her in April.

If you would like to send a message to Catherine and share your best wishes, you can send a letter to her here:

Her Royal Highnesses The Princess of Wales
Kensington Palace
London
W8 4PU