“The Princess of Wales has cancer”, solemnly headlines the
Times
this Friday March 22, just a few minutes after Kate Middleton's announcement.
On her Instagram account, she addresses her fans, teaching them about the battle she is waging against cancer.
A way also to reassure the British newspapers, very worried about the total absence of news from the Princess of Wales, and the recent blunders made by her communications department.
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“Kate’s Cancer Shock”
Just as soberly, the
Daily Mail
uses as its title the words of Kate Middleton, taken from her Instagram video: “Kate: I have cancer”.
Less soberly, the tabloid
The Sun
reproduces the shock wave caused by this announcement: “The shock of Kate's cancer”.
The headlines are unfortunately very similar to those of February 5, the date of the announcement of King Charles III's cancer.
Daily Mail homepage
.
(March 22, 2024).
Screenshot dailymail.co.uk
Sun
home page
.
(March 22, 2024).
Screenshot thesun.co.uk
“I’m at an early stage.”
The only newspaper to take a small step aside,
The Mirror
, which focuses on Kate Middleton's illness itself, more than on the announcement with a headline "I am at an early stage", specifying that it follows treatment with chemotherapy.
The Princess of Wales has indeed indicated that she is taking preventive treatment, because of the traces of cancer found during her abdominal operation.
Mirror
homepage
.
(March 22, 2024).
Screenshot mirror.co.uk
“For once in her life, Kate has to take care of herself”
The reaction of Sarah Vine, royal columnist specializing in the British monarchy, was not long in coming.
In the columns of the
Daily Mail
, she practically implored the Princess of Wales to take urgent care of her.
The title is long but telling: “For once in her life, Kate must stop worrying about duty and taking care of everyone and take care of herself.”
In her short column, Sarah Vine deplores “one blow after another”, citing the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the departure of Harry and Meghan, and the cancer of King Charles III.
“The Princess of Wales?
This is the cruelest twist of all,” she wrote.
“Not only is she a woman in the prime of her life, but she is also the mother of three young children, George, ten, Charlotte, eight, and Louis, five.
They will now be her top priority, both to protect them from the public reaction to her illness, but also to reassure them of the most important thing of all: that mom is going to be okay.”
A courageous and very moved princess
Royal experts and newspapers note the courage of the Princess of Wales.
Royal watcher
Omid Scobie
shares a transcript of Kate Middleton's video with his Twitter followers, calling it a "brave statement."
Ditto for the articles relating this same announcement, the
Daily Mail
publishes “Kate reveals that she has cancer: the Princess of Wales, 42, courageously announces that she is fighting against the disease”.
Other titles, such as the
Times
and the
Mirror
, emphasize the emotion released by the video posted on its official Instagram account, both using the term "moving video".
"Shame on you"
Every English newspaper has its royal columnist.
Each specialist in the monarchy has their reaction.
In
The Sun
, Matt Wilkinson protests the way in which Kate Middleton was treated on social networks while numerous speculations arose about her absence seeming more and more long and mysterious.
“It’s time for the cruel trolls to apologize to Kate: they should show her more respect,” he wrote in the headline.
The tone is set.
He castigates these “trolls”: “this is a shameful episode and people should show more respect to the Princess of Wales.”
For him, the timing of the announcement is clear and reasoned: “they chose today because it is the last day of school for George, Charlotte and Louis and that means they can now snuggle up as a family for the next two weeks, away from all the drama, and really come together and deal with this cancer diagnosis.”