Cara-Louise Scott

The media has normalised oversharing, with people revealing their deepest and darkest secrets on social media and expecting others to do the same. But what happens when public figures like Kate Middleton want to keep things private? 

BLURRING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

Too often, social media and major media publications are flooded with speculation over public figures’ private lives, notably surrounding their health.

This includes paparazzi photos of them leaving the house looking pale and ill or comments on their notable absence from an event. Anonymous users have their say on X and Facebook about what they believe is happening and tag that celebrity, demanding to know what is happening. With the intensity of social media in our society, there is no longer a distinct line between private and public; instead, they are blurred so that everyone can see everything—sometimes too much.

KATE MIDDLETON’S HEALTH

Recently, there was intense speculation online about Kate Middleton’s whereabouts and health. Kate had only been spotted in public three times after she underwent abdominal surgery in January, which she was open about. However, conspiracy theories about Kate spread after William missed the memorial service of his godfather on 27 February due to a personal matter. After multiple international news agencies withdrew the picture, more rumours were triggered when the princess admitted to ‘editing’ the infamous Mother’s Day photograph posted on Twitter.

“While the BBC has received complaints in the past over its royal coverage”

On 22 March, Kate revealed she was undergoing treatment for cancer following a diagnosis after her surgery in January. The problem is, while the princess received an outpouring of love and support, this came from those who had previously made claims about the princess being dead, terminally ill or pregnant. Some people are too quick to assume and crave to know every detail about celebrities, but when they have these details, they are not close to the outlandish ideas they may have had.

CRITICISM OF THE BBC

“The public plays a large part in blurring the lines between celebrities’ public and private lives“

The BBC has recently been criticised for its coverage of Kate’s cancer diagnosis, with many calling it ‘excessive’ or ‘insensitive’. The broadcaster responded: “Our coverage reflected the significance of this story and the outpouring of support for the princess from around the globe. We explained to our audience what was known about Catherine’s condition but did not speculate on details that had not been made public.”

While the BBC has received complaints in the past over its royal coverage, particularly on the death of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, it is important to remember that these were major events and the BBC would have produced a large amount of coverage on this as this was what viewers would have surprised wanted.

DO CELEBS HAVE A RIGHT TO PRIVACY?

“If there weren’t such intense speculation on Kate Middleton’s health, she would have been able to hide away longer”

In a BBC article a few years ago, media commentator Mark Borkowski argued that celebrities must realise they are public property to a certain extent. He said they can have a private life and “can obtain it by keeping a delicate balance between the needs of promoting what you have to professionally – and how you conduct your life.

“You need to have a long-term commitment to the amount of fame you have generated. You can’t switch it on and off, so you have to have a strategy for dealing with it.”

The public plays a large part in blurring the lines between celebrities’ public and private lives due to the popularity of gossip columns and magazines whose readers depend on an appetite for celebrity scandals. That is what sells, sadly. We crave the latest updates on public figures, and more often than not, we can be too wrapped up in the lives of others and even see it as our ‘right’ to know what is going on with them.

But they don’t owe us anything. If there weren’t such intense speculation on Kate Middleton’s health, she would have been able to hide away longer without feeling the need to reveal her diagnosis before she was ready.

While public figures are aware that because of their high profile, their private lives will be more public than they have control over, we still owe them the respect of basic privacy. And we need to remember – they are people too.

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Featured image courtesy of Tobias Tullius on Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image license can be found here.

I am a waitress and writer currently living in London! Graduated last year from the University of Birmingham with a first-class BA English and Creative Writing degree. I am an aspiring young journalist with a love for writing anything related to current affairs, opinion, mental health, food and drink, and travel!

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