Carolin Rusell Dezala.
Staff Writer
Since the beginning of 2024, the media and the public have been following the case of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. After this intense observation. the reality is that how the public has created an unhealthy attachment to what celebrities of Kate Middleton’s caliber do in their private life.
I was minding my own business while scrolling on Instagram, and the first thing I saw was a post by ENews. The caption said that the Royal Palace had released a statement on how the former Duchess of Cambridge underwent abdominal surgery and was stepping back from her Royal Duties so she could focus on recuperating.
I did not think much of it as the only knowledge I had of the Royal Family had been what I would see on The Crown now and then. However, in March, everyone just started talking about it. Where is Kate Middleton?
Then it became a part of my everyday life for two weeks; my Instagram feed, TikTok, and communication classes. I’d find myself talking to my friends on a daily about Middleton’s whereabouts.
The next biggest scandal happened when she posted a picture of her and her children. Said picture was fact-checked and it turned out to be an AI-generated piece.
The backlash, comments, and speculations all led the Princess to release a video of her announcing her cancer diagnosis after her abdominal surgery,
While that alleviated the questions I had concerning what was going on with her, it was not until the following Monday since the video’s release that I realized the severity of the issue. My professor had to apologize for talking about the situation and becoming part of the speculation.
That posed a couple of questions in my mind: why are we so invested in the parasocial relationships we have with artists? Did Kate have to explain her cancer diagnosis to the public and if so, why did the public have to apologize for theorizing and discussing her situation too much?
I conducted a small study last year about a topic similar to this with another celebrity that has the same or more “fame” with her respective fanbase that Kate Middleton has: Taylor Alison Swift, and how social media has changed the way we view her.
Since celebrities, including here the Royal Family have put themselves “out there” (i.e. interacted with their fans through social media or acts of public service), they allow the public to create a parasocial relationship with them, and these relationships are rooted in whatever information the celebrity has decided to share.
The more information the public has, the stronger the parasocial relationship becomes as the public thinks they know the celebrities they follow.
Yes, Kate as a public figure has an unwritten responsibility to serve her public and as a Royal, she has to upkeep these relationships to continue with the Royal agenda Buckingham Palace has to push. However, as a private citizen, Kate does not have to share with the public her affairs no matter the amount of speculation surrounding the topic. She still has not said what type of cancer she has, which shows the agency she has to choose the information she wants to share with the public.
On the other hand, the public does not owe Kate an apology for creating their own opinions and the way her period of resting was seen.
Some may think it is a morally gray area, but I believe that the public has as much right to react to the information given to them in ways that it is easier for them to process. Kate can give as much and as little information about her diagnosis or the way she is handling it as she wants.
The same thing goes for other celebrities and how we as the public give them a platform and they choose what information to provide us with.
At the end of the day, I will go back to mindlessly scrolling on Instagram and wait for the next Royal Family scandal to occur. Who knows what Prince Andrew is up to next?
