Kate and William need time and space to heal, says former royal spokesman

A former royal spokesman said people should give the Prince and Princess of Wales “time to heal” after Catherine was diagnosed with cancer.

Paddy Harverson, who has worked for the couple, defended Kensington Palace’s handling of the news.

“This is not just an institution, this is a family… you also have to remember they are people too,” he told the BBC.

Catherine revealed on Friday that she had begun treatment after weeks of speculation about her condition.

She said the cancer was discovered after she had abdominal surgery.

Meanwhile, the king’s nephew Peter Phillips told Australia’s Sky News that Charles was “in good spirits” but was “frustrated” that medical treatment prevented him from returning to royal duties.

Both men received brief treatment at the London Clinic Private Hospital.

“I guess I’m biased, some of them are friends of mine, but I think it’s very difficult when you’re in that situation,” Mr Haverson told BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg Sunday .

He added: “You have to give them space to communicate where possible… You also have to remember that they are human beings and you have to follow their lead to a certain extent.”

The couple have faced intense public speculation about Catherine’s health since she underwent surgery in January for an undisclosed condition.

Catherine, 42, has not attended any official events since Christmas.

A photo of her and her children posted on Mother’s Day is causing a stir on social media due to inconsistencies in the photos.

Catherine later apologized in a statement for “any confusion” the photo caused, saying “like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing.”

Victoria Newton, editor of The Sun, told the BBC that Catherine had decided to announce the cancer news two weeks ago on her children’s last day of term.

“Her first priority was to protect her three children. She didn’t want them to go to school with any more questions than they already had,” Ms. Newton explained to Laura Kuenssberg.

The Times quoted a “close friend” of Catherine as saying the princess decided to record a video message rather than issue a statement and that she wrote “every word” without the input of advisers.

Haverson said he had “no problem” with how the royal family handled news of Catherine’s diagnosis and criticized speculation on social media as a “perpetual death spiral.”

“I’m sure she wanted the photo to be as good as possible and she apologized for it, so everyone should move on,” he said. “I do think we should give them time and space.”

Mr Haverson disputed suggestions that the royal family had become more vulnerable as a result of the recent illness.

“We have to accept the new reality that there are fewer and fewer such people,” he said.

“They will get over this,” he added. “I’m very confident that the King that I know is very strong, very resilient and a great spiritual man.”

The Sun called on “social media trolls, stupid conspiracy theorists and sniping media critics” to “sack Kate” just days after publishing footage of Kate and William at a farm shop in Windsor.

Ms Newton defended her decision to release the video.

“It’s important to change the narrative,” Ms Newton told the BBC. “Many other media outlets then started saying ‘Kate backs off’.”

She said she had been in contact with Kensington Palace ahead of publication and was assured “we would have no problem running the images”.

Meanwhile, Imran Ahmed also discussed the viral posts about Katherine on social media in recent weeks on Sunday’s Laura Kuenssberg show and warned of the dangers of these platforms.

Mr. Ahmed, CEO of the Center to Counter Digital Hate, emphasized that social media “aims to take the most controversial information… and push it to the forefront,” making certain topics and views appear more popular than they actually are. .

“Social media is not the voice of the people, nor is it a safe, smart place to get information. As a lens through which to view the world, it can be seriously distorted,” Mr Ahmed said.

He claimed that social media companies have ways to address the spread of harmful conspiracy theories on their platforms, “but they choose not to do so.”

Separately, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said the Prince and Princess of Wales were “extremely touched by the kind messages they have received” and “appreciate the understanding of their request for privacy at this time.”

The couple have said they will not attend Easter services this year. It’s unclear whether King Charles will lead his family to church.

Buckingham Palace said they “hope” he will be able to reunite with his family next weekend.

The king said he was “extremely proud” of his “beloved daughter-in-law” and that he and Camilla maintained “the closest contact” with her.

The BBC understands that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been in contact with William and Catherine since their diagnosis.

you can Watch BBC News specials The story of how the Princess of Wales revealed her cancer diagnosis in a video message to the nation, ‘Kate’s Cancer Diagnosis’, now streaming on BBC iPlayer.