Kate Middleton is causing quite a stir
with her sudden departure from royal life, as the princess deals with an undisclosed medical issue. But the answer as to why she's being
so secretive may be hiding in plain sight. Catherine, Princess of Wales, is recovering
from surgery and taking a break from her royal duties. She was hospitalized on January 17,
2024, and announced it on Instagram the next day. Some of her family, friends, and staff
learned about it from the social media post, not from her directly, according
to a report from People magazine. The other half of the "Fab Four"
may have also been in the dark about Kate's hospitalization. We don't know
when or how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,
found out about Kate’s surgery. Did they learn about it when the
public did, or are they in the loop, despite their longstanding rift with the royal
family? All we know is that they did send their well wishes to Kate privately, but have yet to
make a public statement, according to The Mirror. You'd expect that those close to Kate and her
family and those who work with them would have known about the, quote, "planned abdominal
surgery" beforehand. It's unclear who knew what when, but the procedure seems to have been a
well-kept secret. Kate showed no signs of illness in her recent public appearances, including the
traditional royal walk to church on Christmas Day. It's also strange that she had events
on her schedule that had to be canceled, according to the statement from Kensington
Palace. If the surgery was planned and required two weeks in the hospital plus recovery time
at home, with the princess "unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter," why
not clear her schedule well in advance? "That's a very good question." Ultimately, even a princess has the
right to keep her medical issues private. We don't know what she discussed
with her doctors and her team. She may not have known that she would be hospitalized
when she booked the canceled engagements. Regardless of her reasoning, the sudden
exit from public life certainly has people talking. Royal expert and author
Christopher Andersen told Fox News, "Unfortunately, the suddenness of the announcement
and the mystery shrouding the princess's condition have only served to fan the flames of speculation
and gossip. It probably would have been better for the palace to simply describe the nature
of Kate's surgery and get it over with." As for why Kate decided to keep
news of her surgery under wraps, the answer appears to be in the statement
from Kensington Palace, which reads, in part, "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." A parent needing surgery is
scary for a child of any age, and it makes sense that Kate wouldn't want the
whole world to know what she's dealing with. "It does feel like a bit of a new age,
doesn't it? Of putting family first." An insider told Us Weekly that the princess
is doing well and confirmed that her husband Prince William brought their children
to visit her in the hospital often. The source also noted that Kate "may disclose
more information in due course," although the palace's statement claimed that further
details would only be made public, quote, "when there is significant
new information to share." Kate may speak up about her surgery if she thinks
it could help others with similar health issues. For example, the U.K.'s National Health Service
said that visits to an online resource on enlarged prostates increased by a whopping "1061%"
after King Charles announced his surgery.
