What to Know
More than two years after Kate Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis to the public for the first time, critics are reexamining the way she chose to share the news with the world — and what she chose to share in the first place. After a fellow cancer survivor wrote an essay calling Kate’s choice to keep her type of cancer secret a “mistake,” a lot of people are agreeing with her.
A cancer survivor said Kate’s lack of transparency is ‘a lost opportunity.’
A message from Catherine, The Princess of Wales pic.twitter.com/5LQT1qGarK
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2024
In March 2024, Kate took to her official social media accounts to announce that she had been diagnosed with cancer and would be undergoing chemotherapy in the coming months after weeks of speculation about why she hadn’t been seen in public so long.
Kate didn’t share the type of cancer she was battling, though, and cancer survivor Julia Lawrence wrote in an essay for The Daily Mail that she believes the Princess of Wales has made a “rare mistake.” As Julia explained, she knows firsthand what a big difference being open about cancer can make in encouraging others to take charge of their health since she has spoken candidly about her own bowel cancer.
“Of course, it’s everyone’s right to keep intimate details about their medical history private, and not everyone is a natural born sharer, but what a lost opportunity this has represented for the monarchy,” she wrote. “Instead of all those keyboard warriors flooding the internet with their mad musings, they could have been prompting people to check out their symptoms.”
Julia added, “Countless conversations just didn’t happen, or were diverted down pointless paths, and from that we can perhaps rightfully assume lives were needlessly lost.”
Kate and King Charles being more honest could have truly boosted the monarchy.
Julia didn’t just call out Kate — she also mentioned that King Charles, too, could have been. more forthcoming about his own cancer diagnosis, since he hasn’t shared the type either. And at a time when the monarchy seems to be struggling, it could have helped boost their standing in the court of public opinion big time.
“Going public and putting your name to a public health campaign is a tried and tested formula, and one that does more than just win approval,” she continued. “It helps keep subjects, and their loved ones, alive.”
Royal critics are agreeing with Julie’s points.
On a Reddit post discussing the essay, many royal critics were on Julia’s side with this one.
“For someone who is so concerned about her image and being popular, Catherine is sleeping on a major opportunity here,” one person wrote. “If she was more forthcoming with her experience, her popularity and love from the people would skyrocket. It would be a slam dunk.”
At the same time, it makes sense that Kate would have felt that it was necessary to keep these details private, especially considering her children were probably worried about whether or not their mom was going to be okay at the end of all of this. If there were more details out there publicly about her cancer, would it have made it a more stressful time for George, Charlotte, and Louis?
Kate must have had her reasons for never disclosing her type of cancer, and at this point, she probably will never share. But Julia is right — she could have helped even more people if she had been a bit more open.
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