Kate Middleton has taken a different approach from the late Queen Elizabeth when it comes to handling personal matters, particularly in revealing her recent cancer diagnosis to the public.
While Queen Elizabeth famously kept her health and personal information private throughout her life, Princess Kate chose to share her cancer journey with royal fans, marking a significant departure from the royal tradition.
Andrew Morton, author of The Queen: 1926-2022, explained to OK! Magazine that the late monarch was deeply committed to maintaining privacy around her health. “There’s no question that the person who most wanted medical things to be kept private was the Queen,” Morton said. He added, “As soon as the Queen died, you didn’t need to be clairvoyant to know that on the death certificate, it would just say ‘old age,’ as it had with Prince Philip. Even in death, they weren’t going to give much away.”
In contrast, Kate’s decision to share her diagnosis was praised for raising awareness. According to The Mirror, Morton commended the Princess of Wales for being open about her health struggles, stating, “The fact that Kate made a very touching piece to camera at Kensington Palace was a very different approach and a genuine step change in the way the royal family deals with illness.”
Morton also noted that Kate’s openness helped address widespread public curiosity about her condition. “Given the public fascination with what was wrong with Kate and the hysteria surrounding it, I think it was a very shrewd move, as it burst that balloon of conjecture,” he added.
By choosing transparency, Kate has not only differentiated herself from previous royal customs but also created a new level of openness in how the royal family handles personal health matters.