Just like Diana, Kate’s private pain is grim proof Windsor wives STILL always suffer most… But, says MAUREEN CALLAHAN, the royals wouldn’t survive without this Princess of Wales

Why must the wives of Windsor always suffer?

Following the blockbuster allegation that at least three staff members at the London Clinic attempted – and likely failed – to hack into Kate Middleton’s medical records, it is sadly clear just how much her illness and recovery has been poorly managed.

Kate has one big request after all this time: some well-deserved privacy, please.

Yet, thanks largely to public relations blunders at Kensington Palace, shoddy and catastrophic work has given rise to global, multi-tentacled and invasive conspiracy theories, ranging from the strength of the Welsh marriage to the question of whether if it was actually Kate walking through the palace this week. proof of life video.

It’s unclear when exactly this most personal data breach was attempted, but it nevertheless proves how differently royal women are treated.

King Charles recently underwent prostate surgery at the same hospital, but – as far as we know – no one has attempted to access his medical records.

Of course, Charles is a 70 year old man. Her illness is not as shocking as that of an otherwise healthy 42-year-old woman.

However, Kate was never wrong. She has earned the kindness and respect that is usually given to her. To be violated like this – well, how much worse can it be?

Additionally, Kate’s crisis has become a laughing stock, especially in the United States.

When Kim Kardashian, Andy Cohen and Blake Lively are laughing at the clicks, the royal family has really moved dangerously close to reality TV culture, just another social media meme.

Will Prince William finally get the memo? He lost control of the story, the message, and put his wife’s dignity in danger.

How could Has Kate, still recovering, apparently been allowed to take responsibility for last week’s Photoshop failure? What is it about the House of Windsor that views its women – those who marry – as sacrificial lambs?

William should have taken this hit for his sick wife. It was really obvious.

Had he done so, he would have earned the respect and affection of women everywhere, who would have seen it for what it would have been: an altruistic attempt to defend and protect his ailing wife.

It’s hard to imagine that no one on Palace staff, no expert communications manager, suggested this.

You would think that after Diana, lessons were learned. It seems not.

Diana, despite all her press skills, suffered greatly. Camilla endured brutal humiliation for years. Kate too, furious at appearing to be waiting for William.

Such ritual mortifications have always been considered a rite of passage, a hazing, a crucible that Windsor brides and brides-to-be must endure. The cost of doing business, if you will.

Grow those calluses, grow thick skin, show what kind of courage you have.

No wonder Cressida Bonas ran the other way. It is not surprising that few aristocratic women were prepared to submit to it.

What Kate is experiencing now should serve as a wake-up call.

Because here’s the truth: William may be a prince of the blood and a future king, but former commoner Kate far surpasses him. Without her, the royal family is a somewhat sad affair, populated by bald men of varying charisma.

Kate is the shining star, the proverbial jewel in the crown. They would never survive his departure.

Consider that Kate did what I read was an act of defiance last week: that photo of her in the back of a car with William, their faces turned toward a brick wall.

This photoshoot was intended to show the world, after the Photoshop scandal, that everything was okay. It had quite the opposite effect.

I interpreted the anger in Kate’s head movement—anger at having to clean up a mess while recuperating, a mess that no rational person believes was their fault.

This was quickly followed by an unprecedented series of quotes from Kate’s friends, telling the Daily Beast that the princess was suffering from “severe stress.”

One told the site that Kate’s entourage was furious that she was being “harassed by the media because of stupid things other people did.”

Sources also told the Mail that Kate was “very distressed by the fallout”.

Good for them.

Kate’s friends also revealed their puzzlement as to why this photoshopped image showed Kate without her wedding and engagement rings. It was just a guarantee of getting people talking.

How come no one in the Wales team reported this? It’s an institution that sends signals through the seams of a collar — I’m exaggerating, but only slightly.

We doubt that Kate will soon forget the events of recent weeks.

In the United States, at the end of a presidential election, the losing side conducts an “autopsy,” a post-match report. If the monarchy never wants to suffer a self-inflicted crisis like this again, Prince William would do well to order one.

And, in the future, defend his wife – period.