The inherent sexism in Kate Middleton's lack of health privacy

For nearly three months now, Kate Middleton, the future queen consort of England, has taken a step back from the royal spotlight. 

The princess made her last official public appearance on Christmas for the annual walk to Sandringham Church. A couple weeks later, Kensington Palace shared an update on Middleton’s health: She had been hospitalized for an abdominal surgery. While the statement didn’t specify the type of abdominal surgery Middleton underwent, it did say that the public shouldn’t expect to see her again until after Easter.

Surely, royal fans were disappointed they wouldn’t see her attend winter events. The naturally curious, and concerned, wanted to know what kind of surgery could take the princess out of the public eye instead?

On Friday, March 22, it was announced that Middleton is receiving treatment for cancer, including preventative chemotherapy. But before these details emerged, speculation flooded the internet and tabloid media. Instead of many people moving on and taking the facts at face value, the last couple of months have turned into an internet spectacle also known #KateGate.

Nevermind that the actual King of England, King Charles, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year — all focus has been on Kate. Internet spies and conspiracy theorists alike have been unable to accept the reality that Middleton had an abdominal surgery and wanted multiple months to recover. Yes, the manipulated photo of Middleton and her kids was strange — but one would think that the actual video footage of her walking around Windsor Farm Shop would finally quell rumors that she isn’t in a coma or her marriage is in jeopardy. That she doesn’t, in fact, need to be saved by internet strangers. Instead, the video has only led to more misinformation about Middleton’s condition, including strange comments like "That wasn’t her! It’s a body double!"

I’ve spent more time than I care to admit scrolling through the comments sections of various Instagram and Reddit posts. I even briefly questioned the credibility of the video of her walking around Windsor Farm Shop, until I stopped and reminded myself that our imaginations are really good at filling in the blanks in stories that we don’t know. Also, it’s really none of my business what is going on with her health.

I’ve become even more intrigued with the comments that demand Middleton should be 100% transparent with the public about what’s going on with her health. One common variant of comment goes something like, "If she just shared with us what surgery she had in a video, these rumors would all go away." As a health reporter who covers reproductive rights, I can’t help but cringe at that sense of entitlement.

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As a woman, Middleton doesn’t owe us anything about her health history. I see a lot of similarities to the loss of autonomy women have in the United States, when it comes to making decisions about their bodies and reproductive healthcare, and the public scrutiny Middleton is experiencing at the moment. It’s almost as if people don’t think Middleton was sick enough to need months to rest. Can we stop judging how much rest a woman deserves? Can we stop questioning the choices a woman makes for her own health?

As an OBGYN recently told me for a story on abortions, there’s a reason why health privacy laws exist. A patient's health care decisions and records are private and deserve to be protected, regardless of a person’s celebrity status.

Of course, I’m not surprised that there was a reported breach of privacy with Middleton’s hospital records. She’s a famous woman, and people can’t stand to respect a woman’s privacy. Regardless if it’s an abortion or abdominal surgery, no woman should have to prove that a health issue is worthy enough of a long-term period of rest.  

And this brings me to my next point. Middleton isn’t the only royal member with a health issue at the moment. King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer. While he is being praised by the media for keeping up with public engagements, I can’t help but wonder if he had taken months off to rest — like Middleton — if there would be nearly as much poking and prodding around his health status. It’s not hard to imagine a world where if King Charles took a step back from the spotlight, people would be curious. But people who also respect his need to rest and recover for a few months. 

Imagine if Middleton had been transparent about what her surgery revealed, and stepped out weeks or even days later. Would people be less judgmental? Less curious? Would the conspiracy theories be tamed? Probably not. The higher beings above know we’ve all had enough time to discuss how Middleton was paraded in front of the media right after giving birth to her kids— sometimes wearing heels. Any mom knows that took a lot of strength and mental fortitude on her part, and it was probably something she would have preferred not to do. Somehow this raises the bar for her toughness. If she did it then, why couldn’t she do it now, some seem to wonder. But a woman’s worthiness isn’t based on her suffering. 

I can’t help but think of America Ferrera’s monologue in the movie "Barbie" with this whole situation. “It’s impossible to be a woman,” her character, Gloria, tells Barbie. For Middleton, it’s definitely a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. “I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us,” Ferrera said. And if all of that is also true for a future queen consort, then there’s no hope for the rest of us.