Invasions of privacy are nothing new to the royal family, and Prince William is seeing troubling similarities between his wife, Kate Middleton, and his mother, Princess Diana. There is a frenzy concerning the current Princess of Wales, as she was admitted to hospital for “planned abdominal surgery” in January 2024 and hasn’t been seen publicly since Christmas the year prior.
Due to the vague nature of her withdrawal—abdominal surgery could mean many things—royal watchers are desperate to breach the royal’s right to medical privacy. Because the public has been starved of details and answers, conspiracy theories have exploded.
“Having seen his mother go through quite a lot of that, the hounding of his mother, I think he feels he is seeing elements of that being breached again in terms of the demands and screeches at his wife over her medical privacy, and that is hurting him,” Sunday Times royal editor Roya Nikkhah told Good Morning Britain on March 18, 2024.
Host Susanna Reid asked whether the Prince of Wales is “sensitive” over the similarities between his wife and mother, to which Nikkah said: “He always has been, ever since he has been a child and since he has been with Catherine since university.”
The former Princess of Wales died at age 36, with many blaming the paparazzi and the British media for their part in how she died. She was killed in a car accident after a vicious pursuit by photographers. In an interview on CBS’ Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special in March 2021, Harry opened up about how he feared that Diana’s death would “repeat” itself with him or his wife, Meghan Markle, which is the reason he moved his family from London to America in 2019.
“My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” Harry told Oprah referencing Princess Diana’s death. “For me, I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you with my wife by my side. Because I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her [Diana] going through this process by herself all those years ago. Because it has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we have each other.”
Kensington Palace announced that Middleton had a “planned abdominal surgery” at The London Clinic on January 16, 2024. “The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery,” the statement said. “Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private,” the statement continued. “Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.”
