The energy around Prince William and his wife is still decidedly weird and growing weirder by the day. One week ago, Kensington Palace released Princess Kate’s big announcement video, where she spoke about having cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. She seemed emotional and strained, and many noted that it was strange that her husband wasn’t sitting beside her, holding her hand or simply being present for this very difficult thing. Then, days later, the Times of London buried some exclusive information about William’s whereabouts when Kate (allegedly) filmed the video in Windsor on March 20th – he was not around, anywhere. He wasn’t even supporting Kate behind the scenes during the filming. The Times reported it as: “William was not present during the filming of Kate’s clip, as it is understood that the princess wanted to record it on her own. However, insiders said that she believed her recovery has been enormously helped by the daily support of her husband.” So… People Magazine is now running a similar story as an exclusive. Some highlights:

Prince William is a pillar of strength for Kate: “He is a very reliable, strong person. She doesn’t feel isolated in this because of William, who is right beside her,” a longtime family friend exclusively tells PEOPLE. “This is about supporting her and her feeling supported. It is a joint effort. She doesn’t feel isolated at all. The nuclear family that they have created so well is an immense support not only to him but to Catherine too.”

Kate chose to film the video alone: While Princess Kate deliberately chose to film the personal video message about her health news alone, Prince William has been there for her every step of the way. “It is a particular time in their lives, and I know their priority will be to look after each other,” the family friend explains. “His priority is on his family, and the other questions can wait.”

Why William didn’t join her in the video: Princess Kate appeared solo, prompting some to wonder why her husband, 41, didn’t join her. “It is a message from the princess about her health, and she wanted to personally deliver the message on her own,” a palace source tells PEOPLE. The insider says Princess Kate made clear her husband has been “supporting her throughout.”

William is proud of Kate: “William is extremely proud of his wife for the courage and strength she has shown not just this week but since her surgery in January, ” the source says. “Now more than ever, he’s focused on ensuring his wife has the privacy she needs to fully recover and that his children are shielded from the understandable interest in the news that has been shared.”

Time off during the kids’ school break: “The children are at the center of their world,” a close friend says of the couple in this week’s PEOPLE cover story.

[From People Magazine]

This is all authorized stuff from Kensington Palace, I can tell because of the circular nature of the arguments. What don’t you understand? Kate filmed it alone because she feels supported by William and that’s why he didn’t support her by showing up to the filming, because she feels supported. Like, I would have gone along with it if they said that Kate didn’t want William sitting beside her while she spoke to the camera. It was HER news, she was the one who went missing for three months, people were worried about her. There was probably also a completely reasonable belief that if William sat beside her, he would have looked coercive or… worse. But to not even be there, behind the scenes, to give her a hug after she finished filming? That says a lot and none of it good. Of course, plenty of people sort of doubt that Kate was even there for “filming,” but that’s a completely different story.

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