Meanwhile another royal reporter Richard Palmer said the issue had been heightened into a real controversy, saying, ‘What should have been a way of dampening down the hysteria now threatens to add fuel to the fire.’
In January, it was announced Kate Middleton had been admitted to The London Clinic for scheduled abdominal surgery.
At the time, Kensington Palace said she would require ten to fourteen days to recover in hospital and would be unlikely to return to royal duties before Easter.
An official statement from the palace acknowledged the ‘interest’ this news will garner but asked for respect and privacy during what will no doubt be a challenging time for Kate’s closest family.
In a statement, a spokesperson said, ‘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.’
As such Kensington Palace said they would only provide ‘significant new information’ on her medical progress, to retain privacy for her medical information and her children’s lives.
Public theorising reached fever-pitch last month with concern spiking as a result of Prince Williams’ notable absence from his godfather King Constantine’s memorial service in Windsor Castle.
A representative for Kate told US Weekly: ‘We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant.’ They added only that the ‘guidance stands.’
The somewhat formidable response followed speculation on social media that the Prince of Wales was conspicuously missing from Constantine’s service because of the Princess’ ongoing health issues. A brief update followed by a palace aide at an event at Windsor Castle, who declared that ‘The Princess of Wales continues to be doing well.’ However the scandal of the image will do little to reassure fans.
Tatler has approached Kensington Palace for comment.
