Like Diana, Kate’s personal pain is stark proof that Windsor women STILL suffer the most… But, says MAUREEN CALLAHAN, the royal family would not survive without this Princess of Wales

Why do the women of Windsor always have to suffer?

Following the accusation that at least three London Clinic employees tried – and allegedly failed – to hack into Kate Middleton’s medical records, it is painfully clear how poorly her illness and recovery have been managed.

After all this time, Kate has one big question: some well-deserved privacy, please.

Yet a catastrophic mess, thanks in large part to PR fraudsters at Kensington Palace, has spawned global, invasive conspiracy theories with multiple tentacles, ranging from the strength of the Waleses’ marriage to whether it was really Kate who was seen walking around this week. proof-of-life video.

It’s unclear when this most private of data breaches was attempted, but it nevertheless proves how differently royal women are treated.

King Charles recently had his prostate surgery at the same hospital, yet – as far as we know – no one has tried to hack into his medical records.

Charles is of course a 70 year old man. His illness is not shocking like that of an otherwise healthy, 42-year-old woman.

Yet Kate has never put a wrong step. She has earned the goodwill and respect usually afforded her. To be violated like this – well, how much worse can it get?

Moreover, Kate’s crisis has become a joke, especially in America.

When the likes of Kim Kardashian, Andy Cohen and Blake Lively make fun of clicks, the royals have truly come dangerously close to reality TV culture, becoming just another social media meme.

Will Prince William finally get the memo? He has lost control of the narrative and messages and has compromised his wife’s dignity.

How could be Kate, who is still recovering, apparently had to take the blame for last week’s Photoshop fail? What is it in the House of Windsor that views its women – those who marry – as sacrificial lambs?

William should have taken that blow for his sick wife. It was such a no-brainer.

If he had done that, he would have earned the respect and affection of women everywhere, who would have seen it for what it would have been: a selfless effort to defend and protect his ailing wife.

It’s hard to imagine that no one on the Palace staff, no expert communications manager, suggested this.

You would think that lessons would have been learned after Diana. It seems not.

Diana, despite all her exposure to the press, suffered immensely. Camilla had to endure years of brutal humiliation. Kate did so too, angry that she seemed to be waiting for William.

Such ritual mortifications have traditionally been regarded as a rite of passage, a hazing, a crucible that Windsor women and wives-to-be must endure. The cost of doing business, if you will.

Build up those calluses, grow a thick skin, show your fortitude.

No wonder Cressida Bonas ran the other way. No wonder few aristocratic women are willing to submit to this.

What Kate is experiencing now should serve as a wake-up call.

Because here’s the truth: William may be a prince of the blood and a future king, but former commoner Kate far outshines him. Without her, the royal family is a somewhat sad affair, populated by balding men with varying charisma.

Kate is the glittering star, the proverbial jewel in the crown. They would never survive her departure.

Remember, last week Kate made what I read as an act of defiance: that photo of her in the back of a car with William, her face turned toward a brick wall.

That photo was meant to show the world, post-Photoshop scandal, that all was well. It had the exact opposite effect.

I interpreted the anger in Kate’s gaze; anger at having to clean up a mess while still recovering, a mess that no rational person believes was her fault.

This was quickly followed by an unprecedented series of quotes from Kate’s friends, telling the Daily Beast that the princess was suffering from “intense stress.”

One told the site that Kate’s inner circle was furious because she was being “harassed by the media for f***-ups made by other people.”

Sources also told the Mail that Kate was ‘very saddened by the fallout’.

Good for them.

Friends of Kate have also revealed their bafflement as to why Kate was seen in the photoshopped image without her wedding and engagement rings. That alone was guaranteed to get people talking.

How could no one in the Wales team spot that? This is an institute that sends signals through the stitching on a collar. I’m exaggerating, but only a little.

You doubt Kate will soon forget the events of the past few weeks.

In America, the end of the presidential election results in the losing side conducting an “autopsy,” a post-match report. If the monarchy never wants to endure a self-inflicted crisis like this again, Prince William would do well to order one.

And defend his wife in the future – period.