In recent days, the Daily Mail’s columnists have suddenly discovered something dreadful: people on the internet with negative opinions about the Windsors. Specifically, negative opinions about the Princess of Wales. The Mail’s royalists have finally put it all together: this is internet bullying! But it’s only bullying when it’s about Kate. When it’s Jeremy Clarkson or Piers Morgan or Camilla Tominey or Dan Wootton or Richard Eden writing truly horrific sh-t about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, that is NOT bullying in the least. When Piers Morgan called Meghan a liar after Meghan wept as she described her suicidal ideation, that was not bullying in the least. When royal reporters all decided, en masse, to lie repeatedly about “Meghan making Kate cry,” that was not bullying in the least. But if you even suggest that Kate could possibly, perchance, be slightly more forthcoming about her medical drama, then you are unquestionably a bully. So says Richard Eden!

The Princess of Wales should ignore internet bullies who demand further details of her recent operation. That’s the view of Richard Eden in the latest edition of his Palace Confidential news letter.

While King Charles is to be applauded for discussing his own condition – an enlarged prostate – and raising awareness in the process, the princess deserves more privacy, Eden writes: ‘I believe that Catherine should ignore the demands for more details. Why should she have to make public highly personal information about her health? She is not our head of state, or even married to one.’

Since Kensington Palace issued a statement last week reporting that the Princess of Wales had been admitted to hospital for ‘abdominal surgery’, there have been growing calls for her to provide more details about the nature of her operation.

‘We know that it was serious because officials said Catherine, 42, would remain in hospital for up to two weeks and was “unlikely to return to public duties” after Easter, ten weeks from now,’ writes Eden. ‘It hasn’t just been commentators online urging our future Queen to shed more light on her condition; even The Times published a letter suggesting that it would encourage women to come forward for treatment if Catherine gave more details.’

‘Buckingham Palace’s statement about King Charles’s health has, it must be said, been grist to the mill for those calling for greater openness. Its statement, published scarcely an hour after Kensington Palace’s, revealed that the Monarch, 75, required treatment for an enlarged prostate.’

But Catherine is not in a comparable position, writes Eden. ‘If chooses to give more details later, that’s up to her,’ he concludes. ‘But, as she convalesces with the support of her family, she should feel under no pressure to tell us more. And she certainly shouldn’t give in to the online bullies.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“She is not our head of state, or even married to one.” In fact, when Britain’s previous head of state was apparently dealing with pain and severely limited mobility because of bone marrow cancer, no public disclosures were made. When the previous head of state’s spouse was also dealing with some kind of very serious infirmity – possibly cancer – once again, no public disclosures were made. Kate is merely doing what QEII and Prince Philip did: treating every serious medical issue like it’s a dreadful secret which must never be spoken of. So in that sense, King Charles is the outlier here, with his “grist for the mill” prostate disclosure.

In any case, I agree that no one should “force” Kate to say anything. It is up to her, like Eden says. If she never wants to address it, so be it. As I said last week, I get the feeling that many of these royal reporters already know what’s going on and they’re just waiting for someone else to break the story (much like the “royal racist” issue). Given the way the press has reacted, I am reassured that she’s going to be OK and hope that’s the case. Sources have already let it be known that Charles disclosed his situation because he didn’t want to cause any worry or have people spin wild worst-case-scenario conspiracies. I do think that’s a pointed message from Buckingham Palace to Kensington Palace.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.