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Prince William visits the British Red Cross in London on February 20, 2024.
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Prince William's decision to withdraw from an important family meeting on Tuesday and the lack of an explanation have plunged the British royal family into a tidal wave of gossip, speculation and wild conspiracy theories.
Some of this is par for the course for a family that has never been far from the headlines in the modern media age. But the discourse reached frenzied levels this week – particularly in the uncontrolled realms of social media.
As the event – a memorial service for William's late godfather, former King Constantine II of Greece – began at St George's Chapel in Windsor on Tuesday, royal insiders revealed the Prince of Wales would be missing for personal reasons. A source told CNN that William called the Greek royal family to inform them of his last-minute change in plans.
Skipping events usually doesn't trigger the resulting theories. Looking back two years, there simply wouldn't have been the same level of online speculation as there has been in recent days.
But many are unsettled by the seemingly never-ending series of royal grief and health fears. The death of Queen Elizabeth II and the illness of King Charles III that followed soon after. and Catherine, Princess of Wales, as well as the fact that the public has not seen Kate since Christmas, have all added to the speculation.
The series of devastating blows was compounded by the sudden death at the age of 45 of Thomas Kingston, husband of the king's cousin Lady Gabriella. It is believed that William's no-show was not related to the news of Kingston's death, which was publicly unveiled on the same day as Constantine's monument.
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An undated Buckingham Palace handout photo shows Lady Gabriella Kingston and her husband Thomas, who died suddenly on Sunday.
The royal source would not say exactly what prevented William from attending the service. Because of this ambiguity, his absence is linked to that of his wife Kate, who is still at home recovering from surgery. Many saw the prince's recent return to royal duties as a signal that the prognosis in the Welsh household was rapidly improving.
Others said it should have been easy for the heir to the throne to join his larger family at Windsor Castle, as he lives only about five minutes' drive away at Adelaide Cottage and his three children were at school at the time of the event.
If the role of the monarchy is presence, continuity and unity, it was a striking sight to see the royal family enter the chapel without several important senior faces among them.
Of note, the royal source told CNN that Kate “continues to do well” in her recovery. And although the palace was clear from the start that the Princess of Wales's recovery from her abdominal surgery would keep her away from public duties for several months, people are still trying to fill in the gaps.
Kensington Palace made a rare move amid speculation about Kate's whereabouts and health. A spokesman said Thursday that the palace “made clear the timeline for the Princess's recovery in January and we would only provide essential updates. “This guidance applies.”
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(Right to left) Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, her husband, Admiral Timothy Laurence, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester at the service for the late King Constantine II of Greece at St George's Chapel, Windsor on Tuesday.
While William was not present at the memorial service on Tuesday, public events were not cleared from his schedule and he was back at work on Thursday.
The palace has tried to share as much information as possible without compromising medical privacy. This is the challenge of an ancient monarchy operating in a changing landscape where people expect instant information. It's not always that the public is insensitive, but rather that people care and want to know why someone they're used to seeing has disappeared from the public eye.
As a society, we are used to having information at our fingertips and there is an instinctive desire to fill this gap. An example of closing knowledge gaps is best seen in Netflix's The Crown. Originally it was based on historical records, but as the seasons approached the present, writers and producers were forced to dramatize moments to tell stories.
The reality is that no one – except those directly involved – knows exactly why William has withdrawn from this family event or how Kate feels every day. Recent developments have highlighted that while the Waleses are public servants, they are also people who face the same issues we all face.