On 12th March 2024 I published the above photograph of a woman sitting in the passenger seat of a car being driven by Mrs Carole Middleton (née Goldsmith). It was published by Harpers Bazaar in the USA. The woman in the passenger seat was claimed to be HRH Catherine, Princess of Wales.
It was in fact this photograph which caused me to write a blog-post on this subject on 12th March (https://british-gazette.com/to-trivialise-or-not-to-trivialise-that-is-the-question/) for the face of the woman appeared to me to be somewhat fuller than the controversial “Mother’s Day” photo of HRH and her children.
It was a difficult decision to make and one that I still question.
What prompted me to publish was a working assumption that the woman in the passenger seat of Mrs Middleton’s vehicle was in fact HRH and not her sister, Mrs Phippa Matthews (née Middleton).
Another factor was the suggestion by Ms Megyn Kelly (https://www.youtube.com/c/MegynKelly) that HRH might have been suffering from Crohn’s disease. Had that been the case (which we now know is not) it might have explained why the woman in the passenger seat of Mrs Middleton’s car looked as she did – this predicated on the basis that that woman was HRH and not Mrs Matthews.
Why was this such a factor in my decision to publish?
Because most people with Crohn’s disease need to take steroids (such as prednisolone) from time to time. Steroid medicines can relieve symptoms by reducing inflammation in the digestive system – they usually start to work in a few days or weeks. They are usually taken as tablets once a day and sometimes they’re given as injections.
Clearly as HRH’s broadcast about her illness demonstrates, the speculation about Crohn’s disease was not the case.
It is to be noted that Crohn’s disease is a condition that cannot be cured but only managed. On the other hand cancer can often be an illness that people can fully recover from and remain in remission for the remainder of their lives.
I am sure that HRH and her family will be thoughts and prayers of every BG Reader as she and her family cope with this illness and that it is everyone’s earnest hope that she will make a full and permanent recovery.
PS: My decision to post again on this very sensitive and personal (to HRH) issue is the overwhelming coverage by the UK media; typified by the Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html.
This because the intense (and for HRH and her family uncomfortable and unwanted) publicity demonstrates something that in no way is trivial – the huge interest in the monarchy and this directly impacts upon the future of the monarchy in the UK.
As the late Queen put it, “the monarchy has to be seen to be believed”. Clearly, HM and TRHs would like a limit set on the “be seen” part!
What we have at (in March 2024) is a situation where the elderly HM King Charles III is receiving treatment for cancer and the immediate succession is to his two sons by his first marriage. The estrangement of TRH the Duke & Duchess of Sussex need not be elaborated upon, suffice it to say that the future of the monarchy appears to be vested in TRH the Prince & Princess of Wales. This because the unfortunate situation vis-à-vis HRH the Duke of York has negatively impacted public opinion beyond that caused by TRH the Duke & Duchess of Sussex.
It is beyond doubt that HRH the Princess of Wales is the most popular member of the Royal family and that her loss would be a tremendous blow to an institution which I firmly believe is a huge asset to the UK.
The case for a monarchy and against a republic is an easy one to make: Just add the surname of any UK politician to the word, “President”!