It really felt like the old monarchists were literally dusted off this weekend to praise the Princess of Wales’s appearance at Trooping the Colour. Where have these people been for the past six months? Why was everything so radio-silent? It was like all of these sycophants were put in deep freeze and only thawed out on Friday. There’s absolutely a vibe of “picking up where we left off six months ago and acting as if none of that other stuff happened.” Well, Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson decided to go much too far in her rush to praise Kate’s Trooping appearance. The column was called: “Our Fair Lady: Princess of Wales’s selfless display was the tonic that Britain needed.” The subhead was what people got stuck on: “When lesser mortals would have stayed at home, Catherine proved that the show goes on.” Lesser mortals like… people with cancer? People who are not receiving a royal-level of health care? I’m not going to excerpt the whole thing, but this will give you the main thrust:
Two words: Thank you. Thank you Princess of Wales for being an absolute trouper and attending Trooping the Colour on a cold, grey day when lesser mortals with your illness would have stayed home, tucked up in their jim-jams. Thank you for sacrificing the privacy that is so much needed to get you back to full health. Thank you for such a show of support for the King, who is not a well man, on his official birthday, and for giving a boost to the wider Royal family – which has sorely lacked star power since you withdrew from public life in January to have major surgery. Thank you for channelling the gamine beauty of Audrey Hepburn in that wow of a white dress with a jaunty, outsize, stripy black-and white bow. You are Our Fair Lady.
We would have understood if Kate had chosen to start with something smaller and more low-key to get back into the swing of things. But what a triumph on the grand scale this was. A splendid riposte to all the trolls who have cruelly hounded the Princess of Wales, demanding she return to work before she was ready, denying her the convalescence she deserves.
Particular spite has come from the Sussex camp; Meghan and Harry’s acolytes. How will the competitive sulkers in Montecito respond to a beaming Kate back on the front pages? Just as the Prince and Princess were arriving at Horseguards, it emerged, like clockwork, that Meghan had released a second jam.
I’ve said this in another post, but monarchists/Team Keen including Meghan in their sugary coverage of Kate says more about Kate than Meghan. If your “higher mortal” lady is so important, impressive, courageous and brilliant, then why does it matter that an American lesser mortal sent jam to a friend? But yeah, the “lesser mortals” part is really awful. People were not happy about it on Twitter:
Most cancer sufferers in the UK don’t have the benefit of 24/7 elite-grade private health care, macrobiotic chefs, a vast retinue of genuflecting pillow fluffers and a husband who’s worth half a billion.
And yet you slyly refer to them as “lesser mortals”? https://t.co/iMbnwb8e4X
— Miffy (@miffythegamer) June 15, 2024
I had to get three trains to the hospital to get my chemo. Which I had to pay for. Six months of more misery than a Morrissey stag do. And I worked every night at the chateau (don’t ask). I hope she has a full and speedy recovery, but “lesser mortals” is despicable horseshit. https://t.co/nYW1ld3xez
— Jason (@NickMotown) June 16, 2024
What a utter disgusting thing to say about normal folk of this country battling cancer everyday. My brother fought cancer and STILL had to open his shop everyday and work all the hours until he died 6mnths later.
Kate has several months off and turns up in a pretty dress. https://t.co/yXpVRGctvM
— Narinder Kaur (@narindertweets) June 16, 2024
Calling people who are battling cancer “lesser mortals” because they lack access to top-tier treatment is vile. Unlike the privileged few, most cancer patients don’t get a six-month hiatus for chemo; they have to soldier through the agony while still working. @AllisonPearson https://t.co/ikCHsE3BQ8
— Christopher Bouzy (spoutible.com/cbouzy) (@cbouzy) June 16, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.