“Unnecessary and insensitive”. The BBC had to justify the media treatment of Kate Middleton’s cancer.

On March 22, after several months of doubts and questions, the Princess of Wales announced in a video that she has cancer and has started preventive chemotherapy. Following his absence from the public arena following abdominal surgery in London last January. The first news channel on the scene, the BBC, covered the topic without interruption, to the point of appearing “excessive and insensitive”.

“Not everyone approved of our approach,” the group said in a statement, as reported Variety on April 5, stating that he had to respond to a certain number of complaints. The BBC, however, defended itself, saying its media treatment “reflects the importance of this story and the outpouring of support for the princess from around the world”. He continued. “Our coverage has made it clear that the Princess and the rest of the Royal Family are going through a difficult time at the moment. We have always been careful to approach this with sensitivity.”

Conspiracy theories

“As part of our analysis, we therefore looked at the intense speculation that had been circulating in the previous weeks about the princess’s health. We have also detailed Kensington Palace’s statement regarding the Princess’ right to privacy regarding medical issues. However, we remember the conspiratorial comments of Sonya McLaughlan, the TV channel’s sports reporter, that were made a few days before Kate Middleton’s cancer announcement. Indeed, much speculation circulated between January and March 2024 following the sudden disappearance of Prince William’s wife. If the latter explained that he had to stay in recovery for several months, many fans did not believe this speech and imagined the worst. a secret divorce from Charles III’s son, a serious illness hidden from the public, even a disguised death. The Princess of Wales.

So many thought (and still think) that the “fake Kate Middleton” was in the spotlight, especially while shopping at the Farm Market Store with Prince William on March 18. The BBC journalist then noted: “Some newspapers talk about it as a proven fact. But it’s not him. I’m not an expert on conspiracy theories, but this is very strange. In X he repeated his comments. “It is worrying to note that such a newspaper The time reports this information (all media outlets carried photographs of this walk taken by on-site witnesses, editor’s note) as a fact. The headline “Kate makes first public appearance” when it’s clearly not her. As someone said, they can be two alike.”

Although many observers have raised doubts, it seems that the channel’s public has over-positioned itself in relation to the doctored photo published by Kate Middleton on Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom in early March. The BBC responded in its statement, however, that it “always carefully reviews the editorial decisions it makes”. A somewhat controversial statement.