Prince William is noticing unsettling parallels between the relentless scrutiny his wife, Kate Middleton, faces and the challenges endured by his late mother, Princess Diana.
During an appearance on “Good Morning Britain” on Monday, Roya Nikkhah, the royal editor for the Sunday Times, discussed the increasing speculation surrounding the health of the Princess of Wales.
“Having seen his mother go through quite a lot of that, the hounding of his mother, I think he feels he is seeing elements of that being breached again in terms of the demands and screeches at his wife over her medical privacy and that is hurting him,” Nikkhah said.
When questioned about whether William, the next in line to the throne, is "sensitive" to these similarities, the royal expert noted that he “always has been.”
“Ever since he has been a child and since he has been with Catherine since university,” she added.
Diana, the late mother of William and Prince Harry, tragically passed away in a car accident in August 1997 at the age of 36 while attempting to escape photographers in Paris.
In another context, Nikkhah suggested that the Duchess of Cambridge is likely to discuss her recovery from abdominal surgery during upcoming public appearances after March 31.
“I think she is going to be much more open about what’s happened, I think she will do it in a natural organic way like on an engagement,” Nikkhah stated.
“We have seen William at engagements in the past few weeks and everyone is asking him, ‘How is Kate?’ Saying, ‘Please give these flowers to your wife.’ I think, when she’s out and about, she will be asked about it.”
“I’m not saying she will go into every detail about what surgery she has had, but she might find a way to speak about her recovery, about the places it’s taken her mentally and physically. We know mental health is an important thing for them, that is the way she is going to let the people know [what] has been going on,” she added.
The mother of three is anticipated to resume her public engagements after Easter, which occurs on March 31, 2024.
Nevertheless, Middleton was allegedly seen appearing “happy, healthy and relaxed” during a recent outing to a farm shop in Windsor, England, accompanied by her family.
Nikkhah further noted, “She has been at the children’s school, school parents have seen her in the past few weeks, she has been seen at this farm shop, so she has been out and about.”
In related news, royal expert and author Christopher Andersen commented on how the late Princess Diana might have approached a similar photo controversy involving Middleton. “Altering a photo is not something that Diana would ever have considered doing because she knew full well that she would be crucified if she did,” Andersen, the author of "The King: The Life of Charles III," shared with Fox News.
"Diana was a loner. Kate is the consummate team player. The palace wouldn’t have dared ask Diana to apologize for anything — they knew that the answer would be a resounding ‘no.’"
“Kate, on the other hand, is more compliant, more eager to please,” Andersen explained. “Among senior royals, she’s always been more of a ‘go along to get along’ type.”
“One can’t help but feel she is being taken advantage of at a time when it has become increasingly clear that she is coping with a health matter that is more serious than we’ve been led to believe,” he added.
