If you want to be shockingly Californian about the whole thing, this year has been one of great learnings.
We’ve learnt that kings are all too human, that Dukes of York are impervious to shame and allergic to dignity, and that Prince Louis will perpetually give great face when released from behind the Adelaide Cottage hedges.
But there are some parts of this year’s royal story, and the horrible reality of both the Princess of Wales and King Charles’ battles with cancer, that have never been explained.
Now Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl has done some stellar reporting and finally provided some crucial answers to some of the strangest parts of a very strange royal year; and we are only in July.
Everyone, pretend it’s summer again; all beach days and Paddle Pops dripping down our hands.
On January 17, Kensington Palace shocked the rainbow flavour out of us all by announcing that Kate, the Princess of Wales, was in hospital for “planned abdominal surgery” and would be out for the count while she recovered.
Only hours later, Buckingham Palace would put a horribly similar statement about King Charles and his enlarged prostate, words no writer should ever have to type.
While Prince William, in his very rev head-y Audi, was seen leaving the London Clinic during the two weeks that the princess spent as a patient, their three children; Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Louis-of-the-front-page, were not seen once. No one knew why.
Enter Nicholl, who now reports that this was all done on purpose and that the princess “did not want her children to see her in a gown and hooked up to monitors and tubes.
