It’s fascinating to watch, in real time, as the Princess of Wales bungled her message and the British media rushed to clean it up. Kate’s visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital’s cancer ward on Tuesday was full of quotes from Kate about how she recognized the sound of various beeps, how she felt like being outside in the sun while receiving chemotherapy, and how she got “so attached” to her chemotherapy port. Kate then announced that she is in remission from cancer… after her office spent months telling reporters to not quote her when she said she was “cancer free.” The cleanup included this piece by Becky English at the Mail, in which palace insiders maintain that Kate is still not expected to go back to work at all, but she just had to make this hospital appearance (in what was an attempt to hijack Meghan’s Netflix show).
From her moving video statement last March to September’s extraordinarily intimate family video, the Princess of Wales has shown admirable determination to speak about the devastating challenges of her ‘cancer journey’ on her own terms. I can reveal that today’s visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in West London – where she announced she is in remission – was the next stage in a carefully calibrated plan to manage her recovery and measured return to official duties – and one that is being decided by Catherine herself, rather than palace courtiers, at every stage.
It is another example of the quiet, unhurried conviction that the instinctively-shy boarding school girl from Berkshire has shown since marrying into the Royal Family more than a decade ago, particularly as regards her own royal duties and the upbringing of her children. And it is one that she has always been determined should not be buffeted by knee-jerk reactions to public (or media) opinion, or even that of other family members, no mean feat in today’s instantly-reactive, social media-dominated world.
Earlier this month I revealed that people should not expect Catherine or her team to press a sudden ‘reset’ button in January after the last 12 months, during which the princess has largely been absent from the public gaze. For the time being she would continue to put her family, not the family, first. That was confirmed to me again by a senior royal aide just a few hours ago when discussing the princess’ upcoming engagement. They stressed that Kensington Palace’s guidance about her return to public facing duties hadn’t changed, and that it would very much continue to be slow and gradual over many months to come.
‘Today was about visiting the Marsden to reflect on her own personal journey,’ they emphasised. Her decision has, of course, the full backing of her husband, Prince William, who last week issued an extraordinary and unprecedented tribute to his adored wife on her 43rd birthday, praising her strength and making clear his and the children’s pride in her.
Listening to her talk to cancer patients today – some actually undergoing chemotherapy treatment while they spoke – it was clear that Catherine, typically, wanted to focus on them, not herself. When one couple complimented her on how ‘amazingly well’ she and William had managed the situation with their children, she replied coyly, ‘oh that’s kind’ and moved on to ask about how the impact had been on them. My understanding is that this will continue to be her approach over the coming weeks and months. If and when she is ready to tell us more, she will. And until then she will continue to use her voice to amplify the experiences of those who can’t. And always in the way she – and nobody else – thinks is right.
Nothing like being dictated to and ordered to not ask any questions. Kate is going what she thinks is right! Kate is the one calling the shots, not the courtiers briefing about how she’s calling the shots! William is proud of her, despite all evidence to the contrary! Putting aside the strange communications on Kate’s medical issues, I feel like this English piece is an admission that Kate agreed to Tuesday’s activities as a one-time deal, specifically timed to interfere with what would have been the release of Meghan’s show. As in, everything they said about Kate’s limited schedule still holds and no one should expect to see much of her this year, but yeah, she absolutely agreed to do this appearance as an attempt to steal Meghan’s thunder.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
