In a display of unwavering resilience, Prince William and Princess Kate were seen at Windsor, dispelling rumors with a light-hearted outing amid Princess Kate's recent health revelations and online scrutiny. The visit marks their first public appearance since addressing Princess Kate's health challenges and combating widespread misinformation.
In any other situation, Prince William and Princess Kate would not bat an eyelid in Windsor when they went to the local shops to get groceries. After all, the Prince and Princess of Wales relocated to the country hamlet to live a normal family life, and locals are used to seeing them go about their daily routines unhindered.
However, the most recent sighting of the couple, a blurry video of Prince William and Princess Kate carrying their groceries, couldn't have been more significant. The sighting follows weeks of relentless conspiracy theories surrounding Princess Kate, who has been on sick leave since undergoing abdominal surgery in mid-January.
Kensington Palace's communications team failed to intercept the online rumor mill, and insiders say it has caused "untold damage" to Princess Kate's mental state. "KP has experience working with traditional newspapers to manage stories about their principals. The past few weeks have demonstrated that they were completely unprepared for crisis management in the TikTok era," a royal reporter said.
The worst rumor was the return of firmly denied and baseless viral whispers that Prince William had been having an affair with their Norfolk neighbor, Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley, for several years. Some speculated that Princess Kate's absence was due to her separation from Prince William over alleged adultery.
Rose, married with three children, was forced by lawyers last week to deny the reports. Prince William has remained silent about the attacks on his wife and marriage. Still, insiders say their lighthearted visit to the Windsor Farm Shop, during which Princess Kate was seen smiling and chatting with her husband, belies their serious problems behind closed doors.
Jennie Bond, a longtime royal reporter, recently said that Prince William "feels guilty" because he could not protect his wife from the constant online trolling. He recalls how his late mother, Princess Diana, suffered in the public eye.
“The attacks from Omid Scobie were vicious, so William will feel guilty because all she’s done is fall in love with someone who happened to be a future king. There’s obviously a lot of baggage that comes with this—it’s a unique and different life which you’ve got to have a very thick skin for," she furthered.
However, while Prince William may feel responsible and to blame for bringing Princess Kate into this, Bond stated that Kate is resilient and capable of handling it. “Kate has demonstrated that she’s the real deal and William constantly shows that he’s hugely proud of her. Kate’s strength is drawn from the fact that she was given such a long apprenticeship—those nine or 10 years [that they were together before marriage] that she was allowed to see a little bit of what life would be like in the royal court were completely invaluable," she stated.
According to New Idea, Princess Kate has remained pragmatic despite her illness. "Of course, she is heartbroken over all the horrid things being written about her keyboard warriors. But she’s doing her best to figure out how they can prevent this from happening again. She is all too aware that this online world is one her children will have to live with,” the tipster said.
“Kate is determined they don’t suffer the same fate she has in recent weeks, and in her polite way has demanded answers from her communications team about how to manage this in the future,” it went on.
The publicity storm continued after the couple was spotted happily together in Windsor last week. Some even insisted it wasn't Princess Kate but a body double.
“What person who’s on their way back from serious operation hasn’t started their recovery with a quick outing to the shops down the road with their husband? People need to back off,” a Windsor source stated.
Princess Kate shared her cancer diagnosis with the world on her own terms. Last Friday, the Princess of Wales announced in a video that doctors had discovered cancer following an abdominal surgery she had in January. She delivered the news alone while sitting in an English garden, which raised some royal watchers' eyebrows and even drew criticism of her husband, Prince William, on the internet.
Although Prince William was not present at Windsor Castle when the video was shot on March 20, Princess Kate had always planned to make the health announcement on her own, according to Town and Country. In the video, Princess Kate did mention Prince William's support during her difficult health journey.
“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance,” Princess Kate said, adding, “as is the love, support, and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.”
While Princess Kate did not specify the type of cancer she has or the stage at which it has progressed, she did reveal that she is in "the early stages" of "preventative chemotherapy," which the National Cancer Institute defines as "the use of certain drugs or other substances to help lower a person's risk of developing cancer or keeping it from coming back."
The couple made their first joint statement since Princess Kate's diagnosis over the weekend. “The prince and princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the U.K., across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’ message. They are extremely moved by the public’s warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time,” the statement read.
A palace insider told Harper’s Bazaar that Princess Kate "is in good spirits and is focused on making a full recovery." Meanwhile, Prince William "will continue to balance supporting his wife and family and maintaining his official duties as he has done since the start of the year."
