The shadow of a curse seems to be lengthening over the Windsors after the 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II, who died on 8 September 2022 at the age of 96, due to the series of health problems and family disagreements that affected the most prominent members of the dynasty in the span of just 18 months.
Even more so if we consider the levels of longevity and relative good health long attributed to the British royals, known among other things for their lifestyle certainly not prone to excess.
But everything changed when in January the first news arrived one after another and began to alarm the subjects.
On the 16th of the month, Kate, the 42-year-old Princess of Wales, underwent a delicate abdominal operation in an elite London hospital, the London Clinic, following a 13-night hospitalization and a long convalescence of which no one has reported. the details were known until March 22 with the revelation of cancer by the heir to the throne William's own wife.
On January 26, in the same private clinic, King Charles also ended up under the knife for a benign prostate procedure, but shortly after the news arrived of the diagnosis of a tumor of an unspecified nature for the sovereign.
The announcement from Buckingham Palace struck the Kingdom like a thunderbolt, considering that the same evil 72 years ago prematurely took away his grandfather George VI, sovereign of victory in the Second World War, opening the doors to the seven decades of the long reign of his mother, Elizabeth II.
The news also raised serious questions about the fate of a 75-year-old monarch, who ascended the throne after an interminable wait, as well as unknowns about the stability of the country and the dynasty, despite Charles immediately showing the ability to deal with the disease by continuing his his institutional commitments, including weekly hearings with the prime minister, but renouncing official public appointments.
In this situation, Queen Camilla had a crucial role not only in standing by her husband Charles but in representing the monarchy while the other members of the dynasty were unable to do so, including Prince William, for a certain period, who was busy standing by by Kate.
Health problems have also affected Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of the disgraced Prince Andrew, who is struggling with the recurrence of a tumor.
While last month the court had to communicate another bad news, the death at just 45 years of age of Thomas Kingston, related to the Windsors through his marriage to the second daughter of the Dukes of Kent, cousins of the late Queen Elizabeth, Lady Gabriella Kingston , 56th in line to the throne.
All this has taken place while the trauma of the Windsors' breakup - which dates back to when Elizabeth still reigned - with the 'rebel' Prince Harry and the subsequent move of King Charles' second son to the US with his wife Meghan remains unresolved.
A rupture that worsened with the release of his autobiography 'Spare' and the 'revelations' contained in the book.
In February, however, there was a hint of reconciliation, after the conflicts of the past, sanctioned by the meeting between Harry, who returned on a quick 24-hour visit to London, and his father Carlo, after he had been diagnosed with cancer.
But relations with his brother William remain conflictual and so far there have been no rapprochements despite the family's many problems.
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