It’s more than likely that the Princess of Wales’s medical mystery turns out to be incredibly serious, when we eventually learn what exactly happened. It’s also more than likely that it’s been amateur hour from Kensington Palace this whole time. Both things can be true at once: Kate’s situation is serious AND KP completely bungled the release of information, which led to weeks of speculation and ham-fisted damage control from staffers who can’t manage their way out of a paper bag. Last weekend, the Spanish media was widely reporting on Kate’s surgery and medical situation, and one Spanish royal expert claimed she heard, from sources, that Kate’s condition was dire, to the point where Kate had been in a medically-induced coma. The next day, Kate was suddenly discharged from the London Clinic and the British and American media suddenly has a vested interest in minimizing Kate’s situation and making Kate’s situation sound like it was no big deal. Five days after the Spanish media was widely reporting the “coma” story, “palace sources” have finally come out to try to rebut that speculation:
Palace officials are said to have been left furious after a Spanish news show’s ‘made up’ claims that Kate was in a ‘coma’ and in ‘great danger’ following abdominal surgery.
Overseas journalist Concha Calleja claimed doctors had to act quickly as they were ‘saving her life’ in a broadcast the day before she was released from hospital The writer, 59, who has appeared on Spanish TV as a royal expert, said the medical team’s ‘drastic’ actions included intubating the 42-year-old Princess of Wales and putting her in an induced coma.
She claimed: ‘There were serious complications that they didn’t expect because the operation went well, but the post-operative period didn’t go so well.’
She continued that Kate’s recovery was ‘possibly going to require a bit of assistance, and I’m not just referring to her family’ – as she said ‘practically an entire hospital’ was being set up to support her at their Windsor home. But the Spaniard’s claims – made on news channel Fiesta – have been rubbished by the palace.
‘It’s total nonsense,’ a source told The Telegraph. ‘No attempt was made by that journalist to fact-check anything that she said with anyone in the household. It’s fundamentally totally made up, and I’ll use polite English here: it’s absolutely not the case.’
The most-watched channel in Spain for 13 years, Fiesta is known for its gossip shows and was founded by an Italian media company formerly owned by Silvio Berlusconi. The claims about the Princess of Wales quickly went viral – and was even taken up by the country’s more serious sites including El Confidencial, La Vanguardia and La Razon.
Calleja claimed to have gained the insight from an aid in the royal household ‘in a completely confidential manner’ – something the Palace has completely refuted. They also strenuously denied her assertions that Kate had been taken to hospital for the first time on December 28, where she stayed for several days, as she said she ‘began to feel unwell, not for the first time.’
Not only did it take “the palace” nearly a week to pushback on the coma story, it’s taken them three weeks to push back on the “Kate was rushed to the hospital on December 28” rumor, which spread like wildfire on social media, and I even half-believe it too. Whatever Kate is going through, I’d be willing to bet it’s been an issue for many weeks, if not months. As for the palace finally doing some pushback on the coma story… I don’t know what to believe anymore. KP is definitely being way too furtive, but some of these conspiracies feel so wide off the mark. As I’ve said before, wherever Kate is and whatever her condition, I hope she’s receiving quality care and I hope she’s doing okay.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.
William, Prince of Wales arrives at Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK on Thursday 30 November, 2023 with Catherine Princess of Wales.,Image: 825654676, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon 
The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London.,Image: 825661607, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown / Avalon 
The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London.,Image: 825661628, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown / Avalon
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales and Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden attend the Royal Variety Performance at The Royal Albert Hall, London, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince of Wales BACKGRID USA 30 NOVEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales and Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden attend the Royal Variety Performance at The Royal Albert Hall, London, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 30 NOVEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
The Princess of Wales arriving at the Royal Variety Performance, the Royal Albert Hall Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 30 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Guests attend the Royal Variety Performance 2023 in London Featuring: William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 30 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
Guests attend the Royal Variety Performance 2023 in London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 30 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
Guests attend the Royal Variety Performance 2023 in London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 30 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcW1lbIR2e8%2Bao5qblZTAsMHRnJysl6CqwKmrwZqapJefo6y1tMSYqqmdk6q5osDIqKWYrJiWwaC80aKlnJ2jqKysrdOelrCZo5S2r6vAmJqopZFk