A grainy photo and a dilemma: how British newspapers report on Princess Catherine

After a week of often hysterical speculation about her well-being, there was suddenly two plausible pieces of evidence that Catherine, Princess of Wales, was on the mend: a photo of her in a car driven by her mother and confirmation by the British Army that she would attend a military ceremony in June.

But as with almost everything surrounding the health of Prince William’s 42-year-old wife in recent weeks, any sense of certainty quickly melted away.

A palace official said Tuesday that the military had done so jumped with the gun at the announcement of Catherine’s participation in Trooping the Colour, an annual ritual celebrating the sovereign’s birthday. And although British newspapers reported on the existence of paparazzi shots, allegedly of Catherine, posted on social media on Monday, none of them published the images.

At the end of another hothouse news cycle, consumers of royal news found themselves back where they started: in the dark about the princess, who underwent abdominal surgery in January and has not been seen during her lengthy recovery.

The only certainty in Catherine’s saga is the appearance of her freewheeling, unfiltered uncle, Gary Goldsmith, in a British reality TV show “Celebrity Big Brother,” which aired Monday night. At any other time, Mr Goldsmith’s actions could have been an embarrassment for Catherine, who has tried to cultivate a dignified, disciplined image as a senior member of the royal family.

In the vacuum of news about her, however, experts say Mr Goldsmith’s antics on reality TV could provide a welcome distraction from the British tabloids. Their editors struggle to balance their zeal for reporting on the royals – an almost boundless enthusiasm, in the case of a future queen once known as Kate Middleton – with the recognition that even most public figures in Great Britain Britain generally has the right to privacy in matters of health. .

“The media is unusually lagging behind,” says Sarah Sands, former editor-in-chief at the BBC and former editor of The Sunday Telegraph. “They keep scratching their heads. Did they love her too much and put too much pressure on her? Is the media’s new role intended to provide reassurance?

“To the rescue of the tabloids is the gentle pantomime figure of Kate’s evil uncle, Gary Goldsmith,” Mrs Sands continued. Mr. Goldsmith, she said, “is probably the only inside commentary we’re going to get in the next few weeks.”

If true, it could save newspapers and broadcasters from decisions like the ones they faced on Monday, when US gossip site TMZ posted what it said was the first images of Catherine since before she was admitted to hospital. The long-lens photos, which are grainy and show a woman wearing sunglasses who resemble Catherine, were taken near Windsor Castle, according to the site.

The Daily Mail said the photos were not published in Britain because Kensington Palace, where William and Catherine have their offices, “called for her to be allowed to recover privately.” But The Mail further speculated that they were taken on Monday morning, shortly after Catherine dropped her children off at school, helped by her mother, Carole Middleton.

Chris Ship, the royal editor of ITV News, referred to the images on social media, but said: “We are not running them out of respect for her privacy while she recovers from her surgery on the timescale we were given.”

Kensington Palace has said Catherine will not resume her royal duties until after Easter. Last week, mired in a whirlwind of conjecture and conspiracy theories after William abruptly withdrew from a position, it reiterated that statement and said it would provide only “significant updates.” According to an official, the princess was still doing well.

On Tuesday, the palace declined to comment on the photos, saying it did not want to give publicity to TMZ. British newspapers have treated paparazzi photos warily since the death of Princess Diana, William’s mother, in a car crash in Paris in 1997 after a high-speed chase by photographers.

“The memory of the British press is still sharp,” said Ms Sands, deputy editor of The Daily Telegraph at the time of Diana’s death. “It was full of regret with dry mouth. Rules on privacy and duty of care have changed dramatically.”

British courts have ruled that the right to privacy extends to members of the royal family, and the Code of practice for editorsunder which much of the British press operates, protects all individuals from unwarranted intrusion into matters of physical and mental health.

Some critics were less generous about the media’s motives, especially since the images are easily accessible to anyone with a few swipes on an iPhone.

“What’s fascinating is how the nonsense on social media about Kate gives newspapers the opportunity to write about something they can’t write about, while at the same time judging what’s on the internet,” says Peter Hunt, former royal correspondent for the newspaper. BBC.

This is the second time in four months that the British media has refused to publish details about the royal family, even after they circulated on social media. In November, newspapers withheld the names of Catherine and King Charles III after they were identified in the Dutch edition of a new book as relatives who allegedly asked about the skin color of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan’s unborn child .

The floodgates only opened after Piers Morgan, a prominent TV presenter, announced the names on his programme. Buckingham Palace said at the time it would consider legal action, but took no action.

The mixed messages about Catherine’s participation in Trooping the Color may end up being a simple case of bureaucratic bungling. The army said on its website that Catherine, in her capacity as colonel of the Irish Guards, would assess soldiers parading at the ceremony on June 8.

But a Kensington Palace official said it was the palace’s job to confirm the princess’ plan, and the palace has not yet done so. There has also been no comment on the decision of Mr. Goldsmith, Carole Middleton’s younger brother, to join the cast of “Celebrity Big Brother.”

Mr. Goldsmith, 58, a former technology entrepreneur, pleaded guilty in 2017 to assaulting his wife, Julie-Ann Goldsmith.

In a promotional video for the show, a cheerful Mr Goldsmith said: “Exciting people is probably my favorite hobby. Every part of me is just drenched in mischief and danger.”

He then added: ‘I’m an absolute nightmare to live with. There’s a reason I’ve had four wives.”