The online reaction to Princess Kate's cancer announcement
The online reaction to Princess Kate's cancer announcement
The Princess of Wales revealed why she was avoiding the public eye
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In the wake of a rumor mill, Kate Middleton announced today that a cancer diagnosis is the reason she’s remained outside of the public eye.
A poorly-edited family photo tipped the public off that the royal family was hiding something. Social media users have been meming on the royals ever since, like with their royal announcement template and the bad Photoshop job. There were even rumors King Charles was dead, and Prince Williams was cheating.
Things spiraled out of control, and it seems the royal family finally decided to tell the truth. I wanted to take a look at some of the current online discourse in response.
I want to go back to something I said in a past newsletter in an analysis of why certain memes were being created.
If Princess Diana and Princess Meghan’s experiences tell us anything, it’s right for the public to scrutinize the royal family over their treatment of yet another princess.
I think it’s an interesting case study in public forums leading to powerful instiutions being help accountable. Even just watching the memes over the past couple of weeks, the amalgamation of speculation and suspicion made for a brutal social media regimen.
Other posts above express a similar sentiment – where is this balance between respecting the private lives of public figures and holding institutions accountable? Unfortunately, it’s hard to know until situations like this spiral into digital chaos.
A Washington Post Instagram post revealed the “royals, in a communications crisis, are hiring a communications assistant.” The public, on the other hand, will have to reckon with themselves.
Through Kate’s manicured announcement, she emphasizes her thanks to the public for their “love, support, and kindness.” I think this is the PR way of saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
She mentions William’s helpfulness during this time, essentially curbing cheating rumors, and asks for “time, space, and privacy.”
“William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she says. “As you can imagine, this has taken time.”
My weekly roundup:
🎶 What I’m Listening To: Austin by Dasha
🎞️ What I’m Watching: Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV on Max. Wow. Just wow. Heavy but necessary watch.
🔎 What I’m Reading: America’s Most Popular Federal Agency Is Weirdly Hated in Washington by Michael Schaffer for Politico