Kate Middleton Theorists Turn on William Despite Cancer

Kate Middleton’s cancer announcement did not appear to quell all of the backlash, with social-media users accusing Prince William of letting his wife take the hit over a photoshopped picture.

The Princess of Wales had abdominal surgery in January, and Kensington Palace in London said she would not be back at work until after Easter. Yet, when no post surgery picture or video emerged, social-media users began frenziedly speculating about Kate’s health and whether she was “missing.”

Some spread conspiracy theories ranging from suggestions of an affair or secret divorce to insensitive claims that the princess had passed away, along with a number of others too grotesque to repeat.

Kate’s announcement left many openly saying they regretted their choices, but some people also pivoted to blaming Prince William over an image-manipulation scandal.

Kensington Palace released a U.K. Mother’s Day photo that was subsequently “killed” by picture agencies over manipulation concerns.

The following day, Kate issued an apology on X, formerly Twitter, saying she sometimes edits pictures, but there was no message from Prince William, who took the photograph.

Meecham Meriweather, a journalist who has written for Vulture and In Style, wrote: “Kate Middleton just revealed she has cancer and is undergoing chemo, which makes the palace blaming the photo editing on her even weirder. Hopefully she gets better and hopefully their PR learns from this.”

“It was actually really insidious to blame her for that pic KNOWING she has cancer,” Meriweather added. “If they were going to lie about it, they could have blamed an intern, but they lied, doubled down, then started blaming Meghan and Harry’s photographer, like—are you joking?”

Another wrote: “It’s crazy to me that the photo was credited to William — why couldn’t he have taken the hit for his wife with cancer?”

Journalist Heidi N. Moore wrote: “I need everyone to stop saying ‘Kate deserved her privacy.’ She is the next Queen of England.

“Billions of taxpayer dollars support her family and they are also the center of a multibillion-dollar tourism industry based on her image (among others.) She is in a public-facing role and her diagnosis is VERY MUCH a matter of public disclosure and interest.

“The way to tread the line is to disclose (as they did with Charles) then ask for privacy as she recuperates. These lies, evasions, faked pictures, hiding and all the other Palace mistreatment of Kate is an act of cruelty when simple disclosure would have settled this months ago.”

Another post, viewed over 2.8 million times, read: “buckingham palace letting a woman with cancer take the blame for photoshopping a photo of herself is absolutely wild.”

Another post read: “To everyone asking if we feel bad for speculating about Kate, the answer is no because we knew something was terribly wrong and they kept BLAMING her for it and we knew they were doing that too.

“it was always the palace we were dragging, and we feel awful they did this to her.”

Some also said that William should have been with Kate in the announcement video: “When you let your wife to announce to the whole world that she has cancer and facing the biggest battle of her life, alone sitting in a bench. William should have been there by her side sitting next to her. He fumbled this big time. #KateMiddleton.”

Kate Middleton’s Cancer Announcement in Full

The Princess of Wales said: “I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.

“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.

“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.

“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.

“As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.

“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.

“We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.

“At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.”

Jack Royston is Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.

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