Warning: This article contains brief mention of suicidal ideation.
By now you've likely seen widespread speculation about the whereabouts of Kate Middleton, whom Kensington Palace says is currently recovering from a "planned abdominal surgery" performed earlier this year.
Due to the surgery, the Princess of Wales has largely gone unseen since December 2023, which led to conspiracy theories over whether the palace was sharing the whole truth of her condition.
Last week, the Princess was spotted in a car, and she presumably shared a photo of herself and her children on Mother's Day (which was discovered to have been edited and by result spawned more conspiracies.)
While everyone deserves to recover in peace — and let me be clear, that is what I personally believe Kate Middleton is doing — curiosity feels only natural when you consider how the royal family has distracted from health concerns in the past. Like these leading members:
1. King George VI
In 1951, King George VI had his left lung completely removed. At the time, the public was told the procedure was performed due to “structural abnormalities." In reality, though, the king had cancer — likely caused by his heavy smoking. The true diagnosis was originally kept secret from the public (and some speculate that it was also withheld from the king, himself).
Cancer was not mentioned in his death announcement, Time reports.
2. Prince William
You may remember that in early 2020, it was announced that King Charles had COVID. What you likely did not know, however, is that Prince William was diagnosed with COVID around that same time.
Yup, the prince had COVID in April 2020, but chose to keep it quiet and isolate within the palace. The story was originally broken by The Sun, and they spoke to an anonymous source who was quoted, "William was hit pretty hard by the virus – it really knocked him for six. At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously everyone around him was pretty panicked."
According to Vanity Fair, a source said, "William didn’t want it getting out because he didn’t want to worry the nation.”
3. Princess Margaret
Whether you can say Princess Margaret's mental health struggles were deliberately hidden or not taken seriously in the era she dealt with them is up for debate. Regardless, the princess has been compared to Prince Harry — both of whom lost a parent early in life, were publicly shamed for falling in love with their person of choice, drank excessively, and struggled with depression.
According to biographer Andrew Morton, Princess Margaret's mental health struggles were purportedly brushed past by Queen Elizabeth II on an occasion when the princess threatened to jump out of a window at a party, and the host called the queen for help. According to Morton, Queen Elizabeth reportedly replied: "Carry on with your house party. Her bedroom is on the ground floor.”
When speaking about health in the royal family, Morton wrote, “They lived in a world where illness was dealt with by going for a long walk, and mental illness was ignored altogether."
4. Queen Elizabeth:
In October 2021, Queen Elizabeth canceled a planned trip to Northern Ireland, and spokespeople said she was advised to rest by physicians. Reportedly, Buckingham Palace continued flying the Royal Standard, aka the flag meant to signify when the monarch currently in their residence. However, it was later revealed that Queen Elizabeth was not home. In fact, she was spending the night in a hospital.
5. King Charles III
Unlike his predecessors, King Charles III has been refreshingly honest when it comes to keeping the public informed about his health. In February, Buckingham Palace announced the king had been diagnosed with cancer. This announcement stopped short there, though, and the palace failed to provide details like the kind of cancer the king has or its stage.
Did I miss any? I know there are history buffs in the comments. Please let me know!
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.