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As the world speculates about the well-being of Kate, Princess of Wales, amid her recent absence from the public spotlight and controversy over photo editing, the crisis within the palace walls appears to be growing.
According to a royal expert, the silence of Kensington Palace, the home of Kate and her husband Prince Williamamid the scandal has led to the royal communications team becoming a “laughing stock”.
“The palace just has to get its act together,” ABC News royal contributor Robert Jobson said Tuesday on “Good Morning America.” “Because they are really becoming a laughing stock in terms of (communication).”
The palace has issued only a few limited statements about Kate since she was hospitalized in mid-January for what the palace described at the time as “planned abdominal surgery.”
No other details have been revealed about Kate’s condition or the type of surgery she underwent.
In the absence of any further updates or public sightings of Kate beyond two brief outings since her surgery, rumors have circulated online about everything from what type of surgery the 42-year-old princess may have undergone to whether her nearly 13-year marriage with William it is suffering.
The public frenzy has raised questions and criticism about why the palace is not doing more to quell the rumors.
Like the approach favored by Queen Elizabeth II, the late matriarch of the royal family, William and Kate follow the British royal tradition of keeping calm and carrying on, according to ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy.
“I’ve covered this couple for a long time and one thing I’ve learned about Kate in particular is that she has a very cool head and a very long-term vision,” Murphy said. “They are not a couple that tends to make knee-jerk reactions in public or indulge any kind of frenzy.”
At the time of Kate’s hospitalization, the palace said Kate would not resume her public duties until after Easter, a schedule that remains true, Murphy noted.
“I think from their point of view, they said Kate would show up after Easter and we’re not even at Easter yet,” he said. “There are those who will say that in the short term, not posting another image or not being seen clearly has allowed things to get out of control. But I think they are holding firm and trying to keep a cool head and move forward with the original plan and focus on their recovery despite the noise around them.
Murphy continued: “It seems difficult right now, but in the long run it may prove to be the right decision.”
A “small, close-knit” team behind the scenes at Kensington Palace
The palace may be even more inclined to stay the course right now because earlier this month, what seemed like an attempt to quell the rumors by posting a photo of a smiling Kate posing with her three children only made matters worse.
The photograph, taken by William, according to the palace, was later retracted by several news agencies over fears it was “manipulated.”
The palace never commented on the photo, while Kate appeared to take the blame for the mistake.
MORE: Princess Kate spotted in farm store a week after photo editing controversy
Kate publicly apologized for the “confusion” caused by the photo. writing in X“Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
Murphy noted how “very rare” it is for a member of the British royal family to publicly apologize as Kate chose to do.
“It’s not clear if anyone else suggested that to her or if it occurred to her, but the fact that she did it shows that she was willing to put herself out there personally and not hide behind a vague statement that could have been put more into the spotlight.” negative attention on her staff,” Murphy said. “It was her mistake and she acknowledged it, and I think that says something about her character.”
According to Murphy, the apology was likely the result of discussions between what she described as William and Kate’s “small, tight-knit team” at the palace.
Kensington Palace declined to comment for this story.
In contrast to the public view of a gigantic public relations machine directing the royals’ communications strategy, the teams that serve as the voices of the royals are not only small, but also divided among the different members of the family, according to Murphy and Jobson.
For example, the communications office at Kensington Palace represents only William and Kate.
When William’s brother Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, parted ways with Kensington Palace before stepping down from royal duties in 2020, they had their own communications team at Buckingham Palace.
FURTHER: Kate Middleton apologizes for ‘confusion’ caused by edited photo
William’s father, King Charles III, and his wife, Queen Camilla, have their own communications equipment at Buckingham Palace.
Unlike Kate’s near-total absence from the public eye during her recovery, Charles has been seen more publicly since revealing in February that he was diagnosed with cancer.
Without sharing the type of cancer Charles has, Buckingham Palace has given the public glimpses of the king, even showing him reading cards from well-wishers and traveling to and from the palace as he continues his official duties behind the scenes.
According to Jobson, the different approaches taken by Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace arise from differences between Charles and William, and the teams they have chosen.
“They have two different press offices, one run by William and one by the king,” he added. “I think it’s a mistake that didn’t happen often. In the past, when I started (covering the royal family), everything was under the direction of a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace.”
Jobson said of Charles’ more public approach to his illness: “I think he has his own advisers and wanted to be as honest as possible.”
William’s history with Diana informs his present with Kate
Even with a communications team, it is ultimately William and Kate who make decisions about how much information is shared with the public, especially when it comes to personal matters like health, according to Murphy.
“I think William and Kate have a lot of control over the final outcome of the palace’s statements or decisions,” Murphy said. “With the royal family, you see a situation where, even with their most senior staff, there can be a power imbalance because of who they are and the positions they hold. (Royalties) can never not have the highest positions.” .
He continued: “Add to that the fact that this situation relates to something in their personal life and something as personal as Kate’s health, it’s about them making their own decisions based on what is right for them and with that in mind.”
Probably weighing heavily on their decision-making is the fact that William and Kate, unlike Charles and Camilla, are parents of three young children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, who will be 6 years old in April.
William and Kate have intentionally carved out a private life for their family in Windsor, where they now live full-time, which is quite different from the high-profile environment in which William grew up as the son of Charles and the late Princess Diana, according to Murphy.
“William grew up watching his mother harassed by media intrusion and was always very clear that he would fight to prevent the same thing from happening to his wife and children, and to a large extent he has been successful,” she said. “He and Kate have built a life for their family that is totally different from their childhood. In normal times, they go out to public places, usually undisturbed, and do things like their own shopping and school without worrying about the daily intrusion of the media.”
While paparazzi images of the Wales family are often rare, two rare glimpses have emerged during Kate’s months away, including a photo of her in a car with her mother Carole Middleton and, more recently, a video of Kate shopping with William in a store. Farm in Windsor.
Since online speculation about Kate’s well-being has resulted in increased attention on them in their daily lives, William could be thinking especially of his late mother in deciding to remain silent, Murphy said.
William was only 15 years old in 1997 when Diana died following a car accident in a Paris tunnel, during which paparazzi had chased her.
“I think it would be an exaggeration to say that their paparazzi pursuit at the moment is the same as Diana’s, but they are definitely facing more intrusions than they normally receive, and along with the online hysteria, it is “You can see how it might start to worry them,” Murphy said of William and Kate. “The reality is that preventing his family from being harassed like his mother was is paramount to William, and that will always remain a priority for him.”