Unsurprisingly, Roya Nikkhah at the Times of London got another exclusive this weekend. This is a piece which provides major cover for Kensington Palace’s mismanagement in recent months and answers every single outstanding question over the Princess of Wales with “this is the way Kate wanted it.” It might even be true in certain situations but it reeks of convenience in other places. On Friday, March 22, the Princess of Wales announced that she was going through chemotherapy to deal with the remaining cancer found after her abdominal surgery. Roya’s new piece is all about a royal family working together, in lockstep, except for the Sussexes (who get a prominent mention in this piece). We’ll see.

Charles visited Kate at the London Clinic: “There is a very strong relationship between their majesties and the Waleses. They are very close, even more so at the moment,” a senior royal source said. A source close to Charles said: “The King has always had a close, warm and unique relationship with the princess. She has a great love and respect for him and his position. When they were in hospital together there was a lot of toddling down the corridor to spend time with her. He has been encouraging and supporting her throughout.”

Some of the oldest family tensions have fallen away. William and Camilla, whose relationship was strained for many years, have also become closer. The two have been in regular phone contact in recent weeks. Many royal watchers noted the genuine warmth and affection between the pair as they walked shoulder to shoulder at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey this month.

The Sussexes: The tighter bond between the King’s family and his heir’s only highlights the wide gulf remaining between the Waleses and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose Californian exile seemed further away than ever on Friday. It is understood that Kate’s cancer diagnosis was not shared in advance with Harry and Meghan, whose short statement soon after the announcement said: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.” A Kensington Palace spokesman would only say: “We do not comment on private conversations.” However, several sources confirm that there were no such conversations and it is thought Harry found out about Kate’s diagnosis from television, at the same time as the public.

Why Kate made such a personal statement: “It allowed her to speak directly to the public who, overwhelmingly, have always been with her and her family and who don’t buy into the noise and gossip,” said a close friend. “It was all her, she wrote every word of it, it came together very quickly.” Her candour in delivering a video message with so much detail about how she and William have processed the news and handled it with their children, Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, surprised even those closest to her. “I didn’t expect this,” said a close friend who Kate turned to for advice when she had decided to make the statement.

Kate knew she needed more time: The timing was determined by Kate’s keenness to quell further speculation about her health and her marriage, since her cancer diagnosis meant she would not be returning to royal duties as quickly as expected. “What had shifted in the last few weeks was the sense that she felt: ‘I’m not going to have a normal return to work after Easter that everyone is expecting,’ and everyone was anticipating some kind of update around Easter.” More profoundly, Kate felt a duty to share her condition with the public to offer hope and solidarity for others experiencing the same challenges and to reassure the world that she is “well and getting stronger every day”.

Why Kate did the video: The friend said: “It wasn’t really about the drama of the last few weeks, though obviously that has been upsetting. She felt she had to do it because of who she is. It was more that she knows she is a public figure and has a wider leadership responsibility. She knew she had to share the news because of how it was going to affect her work and her short-term future role, and [it was about] what was the most compassionate way she could deliver the news, so that it would land with the public in the least shocking way. A written statement, she felt, would be too jarring. It was about people seeing her, and her reassuring people that she was positive about it. Knowing it was news that was going to shock people, she wanted to do it as compassionately as possible. When things are really tough, that gratitude to the public for their support is their mantra.”

Other motivations. “She also wants to be able to carry on with as active and normal a routine as possible and not have it become a huge issue when she goes to a farm shop near their home in Windsor, with people then suggesting that’s a PR move. Moving forwards, they will be very strict on enforcing their right to privacy.”

How William felt about Kate’s statement: While William was closely involved in Kate’s decision, it was one he dearly wished she had not felt compelled to make. “She did it with his full support and advice, he joined all the conversations around it,” a close friend said. “On every level he wishes she didn’t have to do it. But it was her decision, it wasn’t begrudged and he fully supported it.” Some commentators questioned, on social media, why William wasn’t sitting with Kate when she made her shock announcement. “This was her as a strong woman sharing an innately strong message to the nation. She didn’t need anyone sitting next to her,” said a royal source. “He has been supporting her and the family in the background.”

[From The Times]

“…And not have it become a huge issue when she goes to a farm shop near their home in Windsor, with people then suggesting that’s a PR move.” Yeah, how do I say this? Kate should not have been put in a position where people were constantly asking for proof of life, nor should have felt forced into announcing anything before she was ready. But those pressures and forces were the result of the incredibly clownish operations from Kensington Palace. The conspiracies about the Windsor Farm Shop video were based on the fact that not one week prior, a half-dozen photo agencies killed a manipulated image which came out of Kensington Palace. People didn’t believe the video because it was genuinely weird and questionable. Kate has been poorly served by her staff, advisors and her husband, all of whom thought it was a grand idea to throw her under the bus for the manipulated-photo debacle. Those same people are continuing to say it was all on Kate, she was the one making these decisions AND that Kate felt she had no other choice. And that she didn’t want William by her side on that bench??

A few more things from this piece… King Charles has tentative plans to go to church on Easter Sunday in Windsor, and after Easter, Charles and Camilla will be off for a short break. Then Charles plans to do some events, probably in May and June. KP aides also say that Kate “may attend some engagements in the coming weeks if she feels well enough.” Yeah… everyone’s fine with Kate taking time away from everything and just focusing on her recovery. That’s sort of why this whole thing could have been managed better from the start, so this past month of unforced error after unforced error wouldn’t have led to a choked-up princess sitting alone on a bench, telling people she has cancer. As for the aside about the Sussexes… maybe just stop mentioning the Sussexes in the same breath as the Windsors? Try that.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.