Princess Kate’s cancer: Lessons for netizens who crave likes and laughs

A friend called to say she felt sad that Catherine Middleton, the Princess of Wales, had been diagnosed with cancer and asked if I had some inside information because I work in the media.

Nope, I said, adding that we were too far away from merry ol’ England for me to know anything about what happens there except from news reports in the media.

My friend, a romantic who read Mills and Boons novels in her younger days, has been fascinated with Kate from the time she married Prince William on 29 April, 2011. She thinks that Kate has great taste in clothes and knows how to carry herself with dignity in public.

According to her, there are quite a number of Malaysians who like Kate, as she is called, even though they have never met her and they diligently read news and gossip about the wife of Prince William.

I know the late Princess Diana, mother to William, had a great following in Malaysia, especially among women.

Gossip about Princess Kate

She also told me about the negative gossip and reports in the media about Kate when she was absent from the public eye for a while. It appeared that she knew much about Kate.

On 22 March, Kate publicly revealed that she was undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer during tests after her abdominal surgery on 16 January. She began treatment in late February.

Addressing the public in a video, Kate said: “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.

“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.”

A huge shock, says Princess Kate

Kate described knowing she had cancer as a “huge shock”.

I can sympathise with that feeling as the discovery that a close relative has cancer caused a wave of shock in members of my family recently. Shock and pain were etched on the faces of his wife and children especially upon discovering that he had cancer.

After all, cancer is one of the most feared diseases.

He has been in hospital for three weeks now. Complications have resulted in him receiving only one of four cycles of chemotherapy.

On the occasions that I visited him at the hospital, I expressed words of encouragement, although inside I felt somewhat helpless. What can you say that will make a person with cancer feel better?

I guess those close to Kate will be having similar thoughts and feelings.

What goes on in the mind of a cancer patient?

I also wonder what must be going on in my relative’s mind. Here is an active person who has been forced to lie down in a hospital bed with tubes stuck to his body. There must be a lot of pain and anguish and regrets, surely.

I wonder what must be going on in Kate’s mind.

I’m sure the misplaced rumours and gossip about her – some of them downright cruel – will play on her mind too.

Kate had been absent from the public eye since January, igniting all sorts of speculation and gossip. Some were silly, and some made fun of her and her absence.

Some people speculated that her health had deteriorated while others asked if her marriage was on the rocks. There were some cruel jokes too.

On 10 March, Kensington Palace circulated a picture of Kate smiling with her children, in honour of Mother’s Day in the UK.

Soon reports spread that the picture had been doctored.

The following day, a post on the X account of the Prince and Princess of Wales said: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”

Later, when a video of Kate strolling in a market with her husband appeared, some claimed that it was not Kate but a body double.

According to media reports, there were also posts on social media that claimed she was dead or in an induced coma.

That is, of course, taking things too far.

The media reported that authorities were investigation a report that a staff member was caught trying to access her medical information.

Soon after Kate revealed her medical condition, there were expressions of remorse from some of those who had made fun or commented on her absence from public view.

But some continued to spout negative comments or offer silly theories.

Some social media users had the temerity to say the conspiracy theories spread because she did not speak out sooner about her health condition.

AFP reported that many people claimed on X and TikTok that Kate’s video message was an AI-enabled deepfake.

Even a Princess needs privacy

Some users, it said, even posted slowed down versions of the video to support their claim that it was digitally manipulated.

What a travesty!

Sure, one can argue that Kate is no ordinary person and that she is the Princess of Wales.

But even a princess is a human being; even a princess has feelings, emotions, hopes.

Sure, you can argue that a queen in waiting is different from you and me and should, therefore, expect more public scrutiny

But even a queen in waiting will have a yearning for some privacy at times and it is only common decency to allow this. Especially so at this time when she is fighting cancer.

Lessons from Princess Kate’s story

There are at least two lessons here for all of us: We should never jump to conclusions and we should never initiate or spread misinformation, especially that which can hurt the person or her relatives and friends.

Many Malaysians are quick to post or share comments without thinking how it will affect others. I hope this story about what the Princess of Wales went through and must be going through will cause them to pause and reflect.

We should not assume things about other people’s personal lives and post comments just to get likes or laughs.

There is a need for more decency in our actions in this highly connected, networked world where it’s so easy to post our thoughts or feelings on the spur of the moment.

A.Kathirasen is a veteran Malaysian journalist/editor who has been writing columns, with breaks, in newspapers and online since 1981. All views expressed are the writer's own.

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