Have you heard the latest conspiracy theories about Princess Kate? Of course there is. But if you’re still feeling lost, here’s a reminder: In January, Kate underwent what the palace described as a planned abdominal surgery and required an extensive recovery period; this would require him to remain away from public duties until after Easter.
On Mother’s Day (if you’re a US reader, don’t panic: the UK and the US celebrate Mother’s Day on different dates), the palace released a photo of Kate with her three children. This would be a huge problem if the image didn’t appear to have been digitally altered, prompting news agencies like AP and Reuters to issue a “kill” notice and remove it.
Flamboyant speculations arose about Kate and her whereabouts. In an attempt to calm everyone down, Kate and her husband William’s Twitter/X account shared a statement whose tone could only be described as: “What happens when you get kidnapped and your kidnapper has to do it by updating your Facebook status in a bad way?” It looks like you’re still alive.”
“Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing,” he says in the statement. “I wanted to apologize for the confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday. I hope everyone who celebrated had a very happy Mother’s Day.” Signed with “C” as in “Catherine” as in Kate.
To say this statement misses the mark is an understatement of epic proportions. Speculation doubled. It has tripled. It quadrupled. It has become a giant snowball of speculation rolling down hill to eat us all.
It’s clear the Palace wasn’t transparent enough about what happened to Kate. Whether you think we have a right to know is another matter entirely, and exactly the kind of unsolvable problem that arises when dealing with an institution like the British monarchy.
The deal sucks from the start for everyone involved. You either believe that the royal family is funded by public money and therefore the public is entitled to every detail of their lives – that they are functionally incapable of having any kind of private life. Maybe fair in theory, but difficult to manage in practice. Or you believe that royals are entitled to the same amount of privacy as ordinary citizens with luxurious lifestyles. Negative It’s funded by British taxpayers’ money, which is completely useless. The royal family’s entire stated purpose is about public affairs and maintaining the image.
In this particular case, Kate is probably a person with normal human problems; But she does so in the context of an institution whose incompetence has proven to be so great that people have difficulty understanding it. As it turns out, it’s easier to believe the rumors about Kate’s whereabouts than it is to believe that a supposedly public relations organization could actually be this bad at public relations.
Monarchy does not work for the people; Of course it never worked; This is literally not what monarchy is designed for. However, it became painfully clear that this did not work for the royal family either. You don’t have to take Harry and Meghan’s word for it – although I don’t see why you wouldn’t.
Whatever Kate’s current situation, imagine if the institution that was supposed to ensure her well-being turned into an internationally embarrassing nightmare. Then, step away and think about what it takes to be noble: being tied from birth to a life you don’t really want, to a type of job you may not have any interest in, While doing all this, he remains a public figure with no chance of returning to anonymity..
Of course, the royal family is financially well off and can rest easy knowing that their financial needs are more than met for the rest of their lives. This is a great privilege; Again, this is the purpose of monarchy. What about other needs? If a person decides to do this, what about their right to a private life? How about the chance to shape the outcomes of a person’s life? Being born into royalty comes with restrictions that we would not find acceptable in most other contexts. It is clear that the institution cannot adapt to the modern age. (See: “Like many amateur photographers…”) It’s time to fade away.
What about tourism? What will happen to the economy? The idea that the royal family is a net positive for the UK economy has been debunked many times and, to quote IndependentIn 2018, then economics editor Ben Chu said: “we should approach even estimates of economic activity linked to the royal family with great skepticism.” As Chu pointed out at the time: The royal family enjoys significant financial advantages; major royal events such as weddings and coronations can displace rather than create economic activity; and nothing says that without royal family members, tourists will stop visiting the UK’s historic institutions. Former palaces in countries formerly home to royalty are visited by tourists with equal frequency, and tourists to the UK have never before been in the presence of a reigning monarch.
What I do know is that if a corporation can’t be trusted to talk publicly about photo editing software without triggering a scandal, then it shouldn’t be trusted with millions of pounds of public funds, and it shouldn’t be given significant corporate funds either. strength. If there was ever a time to abandon the monarchy, it is now.