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Prince William visits the British Red Cross in London on February 20, 2024.
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Prince William’s decision to pull out of a major family gathering on Tuesday, and the lack of an explanation, has plunged the British royal family into a flurry of gossip, speculation and wild conspiracy theories.
Some of that is normal for a family that has never been far from the headlines in the modern media age. But the discourse reached a frenetic level this week, particularly in the unbridled realm of social media.
As the event, a memorial service for William’s late godfather, former King Constantine II of Greece, began on Tuesday at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, royal sources revealed that the Prince of Wales would miss it due to a personal matter. . William, a source told CNN, had called the Greek royal family to inform them of his last-minute change of plans.
Skipping events does not normally generate the kind of theorizing that has followed. If we go back two years, there simply would not have been the same level of online speculation that has been witnessed in recent days.
But many have been left unsettled by the seemingly endless series of recent headaches and real health problems. The death of Queen Elizabeth II, and both King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales, falling ill shortly afterwards, plus the fact that the public has not seen Kate since Christmas Day, have contributed to the speculation.
The series of devastating blows was further aggravated by the sudden death of Thomas Kingstonhusband of the king’s cousin, Lady Gabriella, at the age of 45. It is understood that William’s absence was unrelated to the news of Kingston’s death, which was publicly revealed on the same day as Constantine’s funeral.
Alexandra Diez de Rivera/Buckingham Palace/Reuters
An undated photograph provided by Buckingham Palace shows Lady Gabriella Kingston and her husband, Thomas, who died suddenly on Sunday.
The royal source did not want to know exactly what had prevented William from attending the service. Given this lack of clarity, his absence has been linked to that of his wife, Kate, who is still at home recovering from surgery. Many saw the prince’s recent return to royal duties as a sign that the prognosis in the House of Wales was rapidly improving.
Others have suggested it should have been easy for the heir to the throne. to join her family at Windsor Castle, as she lives just a five-minute drive away, at Adelaide Cottage, and her three children were at school when the event took place.
If the role of the monarchy is presence, continuity and unity, it was a stark sight to see the royal family enter the chapel without several key important faces among them.
It’s worth emphasizing that the royal source told CNN that Kate “continues to do well” in her recovery. And although the palace made it clear from the beginning that the Princess of Wales’ recovery would take her away from public duties for several months following her abdominal surgery, there are still people trying to fill her gaps.
Kensington Palace took a rare step amid speculation about Kate’s whereabouts and health, with a spokesperson saying Thursday that the palace “made clear in January the princess’ recovery timelines and we would only provide meaningful updates.” “That guideline remains.”
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(Right to left) Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, her husband Admiral Timothy Laurence, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, at the service for the late King Constantine II of Greece at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Tuesday .
While William was not present at the memorial service on Tuesday, his diary has not been scrubbed from public events and he returned to action on Thursday.
The palace has been trying to give out as much information as it can without compromising medical privacy. This is the challenge of an ancient monarchy operating in a transformed landscape, where people expect information immediately. It’s not always that the public is being insensitive, but rather that people care and want to know why someone they are used to seeing has disappeared from public view.
As a society, we are used to having information at our fingertips and there is an instinctive desire to fill the gap. An example of plugging knowledge gaps is best represented in Netflix’s “The Crown.” It was initially based on historical records, but as the seasons approached the presentwriters and producers were forced to dramatize moments for narrative purposes.
The reality is that no one, beyond those directly involved, knows exactly why William withdrew from this family event or how Kate feels on a day-to-day basis. Recent events have highlighted that while the Welsh are public servants, they are also people vulnerable to the same struggles we all face.