Royal families have always performed their functions surrounded by a certain aura of magic and mystery. But, as we are seeing in recent days with the case of Princess Catherine's "successful abdominal surgery", too much mystery is too much for social networks and conspiracy theorists.
Catherine of Wales is not the first member of royalty to park the official schedule due to an illness, what is strange is that she stated that she does not want to make her illness public to protect her privacy, and this is what reproach him and the one who set up the circus. It is clear that this formula has not worked well in the British royal family, which is usually a reference among royal houses in the treatment of crises, and that is why it will be difficult to see the same temperament again among European royals in the face of indisposition.
An element that has been key for the temporary disappearance of Middleton to escalate to a kind of institutional crisis has been the visibility of the character, since there have been other more enigmatic and truculent situations in neighboring royal houses and it has not transcended to the same level.
The closest case to that of Catherine of Wales is that of Princess Charlene of Monaco, who gave many more reasons to worry during her missing year. Prince Albert's wife stepped down from her duties in May 2021 and did not return to public life until February 2022.
She fell ill while on a trip to raise awareness about the problem of rhino poaching in southern Africa. Then it was said that the princess contracted an otorhinolaryngological infection of which no further details were given. The treatment - she was operated on even three times - prevented her from getting on a plane back home and she spent half a year in South Africa away from her children.
"Since I know there are rumours, let me say it's not covid, it's not related to cancer and, if you want to talk about more speculation, it's not related to cosmetic surgery," an upset Albert revealed to the magazine People while his wife was convalescing. When she returned to Monaco in November 2021, Charlene was also not ready to return to her schedule and spent nearly three months in a Swiss clinic. Afterwards, Albert declared that his wife "was exhausted, physically and emotionally" and Charlene justified that "difficult moment" with sugary statements without interest.
But who disappears more often than any other royal is the Alawite king. Mohamed VI of Morocco has planted several foreign high officials and also members of the royal family in the visit to the country due to their repeated absences. Since 2009, the monarch's health has been called into question. First, for the weight gain, then for the rapid weight loss, for the two heart operations that have been confirmed and also for the long stays in Paris, Gabon and the Seychelles.
The king's health is a topic that few media talk about in Morocco and the Alawite royal house also does not usually comment on the king's illnesses unless it is absolutely necessary. He spent nearly 200 days outside the country in 2022 and in February 2023 planted Pedro Sánchez during his official visit because he was retiring to Gabon. To justify one of his many indispositions, palace sources revealed that the monarch suffers from COPD.
Empress Masako of Japan also spent long periods in hiding due to her illness and Emperor Naruhito had to admit in 2004 the drama affecting his wife in the face of her repeated absences. The so-called "broken wing butterfly" has suffered chain depressions caused by the pressure of the Japanese imperial house. He has been absent from countless official engagements over the years in and out of the land of the Rising Sun, for example, the wedding of Kings Felipe and Letícia.
Since the attention is focused on Catherine, little is said about the details of Charles III's cancer. The king has not disappeared from public life, but he has also not wanted to communicate where his cancer is located or the severity. It was only knowing it wasn't prostate cancer because he announced it days after surgery to enlarge the gland.
