By Milly Veitch for Mailonline

Published: 6:07 PM EDT, March 21, 2024 | Updated: 6:17 PM EDT, March 21, 2024

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.

With King Charles undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer and the Princess of Wales still recovering from abdominal surgery, half of the eldest members of the royal family are out of action.

So what better time for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to launch the latest phase of their apparent plan to become the new, more glamorous royal family across the pond?

In a slick Instagram video, Meghan unveiled her new lifestyle and cooking brand, American Riviera Orchard. The former actress was busy in a rustic-looking kitchen in the video, which was posted online a day after I contacted her office for comment on her plans. American Riviera Orchard will focus on home, garden, food and lifestyle items.

Meghan and her team decided to post the video even though the coverage it would generate would likely overshadow a major appearance by Prince Harry that same evening.

Via video link from the US, he spoke at an awards ceremony for the Diana Trust, an esteemed charity dedicated to promoting his late mother’s legacy. Prince William attended the event in person, although he made a point of leaving before his brother’s face appeared on a video screen.

Although American Riviera Orchard is primarily Meghan’s venture, Harry, I’m told, will join his wife for a series of “royal” public appearances in the coming days and weeks.

But when the Duchess was seen arranging flowers and whipping something in a mixing bowl in her promotional video, Harry caused trouble with an intriguing new friend. I revealed on Saturday in my social diary, Eden Confidential, that the Duke, 39, enjoyed a ski holiday last week with Corey Gamble, 43, a businessman who happens to be the partner of Kris Jenner, the 68-year-old mother of reality TV stars. US royalty, Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian. She also has two daughters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, who have become super-rich stars with the help of their mother as a manager, or “momanger,” as she is known.

On the slopes with Harry and Corey at Aspen, America’s fanciest ski resort, were other friends, including Whitney Wolfe Herd, 34, who became the world’s youngest female billionaire when she took her online dating company Bumble public in 2021, and Whitney’s husband, Michael, whom she first met during a ski trip to the resort.

Michael Herd, a Texas oil heir, owns the private jet that flew Harry and Meghan to Las Vegas last November to see their Californian neighbor, pop star Katy Perry, in concert.

Harry’s previously unknown friendship with Kris Jenner’s boyfriend is fascinating. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, is known to be pals with Jenner. I’m told Harry and Gamble “really hit it off.” They can certainly compare notes on having ambitious other halves.

And while the Kardashian clan can’t give tips on royal behavior, there’s no doubt they can give advice on making money.

However, before Gamble had time to give a full debrief about his holiday with the King’s youngest son, Kim Kardashian poked fun at the Princess of Wales.

Amid speculation about Kate’s whereabouts, Kim posted a series of photos of herself on Instagram to her 364 million followers, along with the caption, “On our way to find Kate.” The post added fuel to the fire of often bizarre and cruel conspiracy theories about the princess and her current condition.

While Harry and Meghan’s new show business friends may help them make a fortune, they could spell trouble for the real royal family.

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For his heroic efforts to protect Princess Anne, Jim Beaton was awarded the George Cross.

But the more lasting souvenir of his brush with death fifty years ago today – when mad gunman Ian Ball tried to kidnap the Princess Royal – is a bullet fragment embedded in his hand.

Mr Beaton, 81, was an inspector in the Metropolitan Police and served as Anne’s bodyguard for five years.

Ball ambushed Anne as she and her then-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, were driven through The Mall late at night.

Mr Beaton was shot three times by Ball after his own gun jammed, but escaped with his life when he passed former boxer Ronnie Russell and hit the gunman on the head.

Mr Beaton was speaking today to mark the 50th anniversary of the kidnap attempt the BBC how Ball “shot me in the chest” and talked about the “bullet” still lodged in his right hand.

He added: “We got about three-quarters of the way down the Mall and this white car pulled up in front of us.

“This guy Ian Ball, the driver of the white car, was coming back towards the royal car.

‘I got out of my seat and came behind the car. And he went bang bang and he shot me in the chest. I tried to shoot him back with my gun.

“I missed the first shot and then the gun jammed.”

“Ball pointed his gun at Princess Anne and said, ‘Drop your gun or I’ll shoot her,’ or something to that effect.

‘He shot at the same time as my hand went up and the bullet landed in my hand. We kicked the back door open and there was Ian Ball and he shot me in the stomach.

‘I struggled out of the car, clearly in a daze… walked around the front of the car and lay down on the pavement.’

Ball had used his Ford Escort car to stop the limousine carrying the royal couple, along with Anne’s lady-in-waiting Rowena Brassey.

Driver Alex Callender was at the wheel when the car was overtaken by Ball opposite Clarence House.

When Ball told Anne he was going to kidnap her and ordered her to get out of the car, the princess is said to have replied, “Damn probably!”

As well as wounding Mr Beaton, Ball shot Mr Callender, passing police officer Michael Hills and journalist Brian McConnell, who had been following the pair before trying to intervene.

Passing former boxer Russell, who won the George Medal for his bravery, guided the princess to safety before punching the gunman twice in the head.

When support arrived in the form of Detective Peter Edmonds, Ball was eventually arrested.

A witness, named Miss Sammy Scott, told the Daily Mail at the time: ‘I saw Princess Anne and Mark huddled in the back of the car.

“They were on the other side of the shooter. Suddenly I saw a man fall in front of me. He had been shot. He was covered in blood. He was lying on the sidewalk.

“Another man, a detective, I think, came running. I said to him, “This man has been shot, why doesn’t he go to the hospital?”

‘The detective looked at me for a moment and then said: ‘I have that too.’ He opened his jacket and I saw blood pouring from his shoulder. Then he collapsed too.’

Fortunately, everyone who was injured recovered and was able to resume their careers.

Mr Beaton was visited by Princess Anne while he was in hospital.

He said: ‘When Princess Anne came to see me in hospital it was quite funny because the staff said, “Come on, you have to put something on, cover your chest and all the wounds and things like that”.

“We were just saying, you know, glad we’re all still alive and kicking, so to speak.”

PC Hills also received the George Medal.

When Anne spoke about the ordeal with chat show host Michael Parkinson in 1984, she said she had been “scrupulously polite” to her attacker because it would have been “foolish to be too rude at that moment.”

Mr Beaton has previously highlighted how the quality of royal protection has improved dramatically since Ball’s attack on Princess Anne.

He previously said: ‘I had nothing.

“There was no backup vehicle. The training was non-existent; but yeah, we thought nothing would happen. They are now very specialized, highly trained.’

Ball pleaded guilty to attempted murder and kidnapping and remains jailed at Broadmoor Hospital under the Mental Health Act.

The apology Ball made during his police questioning was revealed after the Mail on Sunday won a seven-month freedom of information battle. They wouldn’t be released until 2048.

The would-be kidnapper told police he thought Anne would be an easy target.

He said he learned of her movements by calling the Buckingham Palace press office.

He said: ‘I had thought about it for years… She would have been the easiest. I saw her driving with her husband.’

The records also showed that Ball showed no remorse for shooting three men.

He added: “They were in my way so I had to shoot them. Well, the police, that’s their job. They expect to be shot. I took the chance to get shot, so why wouldn’t they?’

Ball planned to take the princess to a property in central London that he had rented under an alias. He would demand a ransom of £3 million.

Detectives initially feared Ball was part of the IRA, but he told officers: ‘I have no friends. I’m a loner. I’ve thought and worked on it a lot.

“I can’t expect people like you to understand or accept that I did and planned it alone. Do you think I’m part of the IRA or something? If anyone else had been there, they would have helped me on the spot.”

He also told police: ‘I knew it [Beaton] would be armed. If his gun hadn’t jammed, I’d be dead.”

THEY may be Britain’s biggest family, but they also love going abroad.

Sue Radford has announced she is booking another sunny getaway for her large brood – after 24 holidays in 24 months.

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Reality stars Sue and Noel took their children to Disneyland Paris for Christmas, and they are planning another trip away.

Taking to Instagram yesterday, Sue revealed how she had been doing passport management for her children.

She said: “Passport update for anyone who wants to know how long it took.

“They were approved, one yesterday and one today, so it took 13 days from paying online to being approved and printed.”

Sue said she had been issued two initial passports and daughter Ellie needed an extension, which had taken five days to be approved and delivered.

The mother praised the online system as “a really, really good service” and said: “I will say online is definitely faster.”

And excitingly, the successful passport administration means the family can go on holiday again.

Sue teased her fans by saying: “Now get some relaxing time and some sun.”

She didn’t reveal a specific destination or whether anything had been booked yet, but with Easter and summer on the horizon, a trip could be in the offing.

The Radfords have been busy lately with the launch of their new book, The Radfords: Making Life Count.

Despite only being released on February 29, the book has already climbed to second place on the prestigious list of bestsellers.

In the book, Sue happily clapped back at the haters, who initially doubted the couple when Sue became pregnant during her teenage years.

She concluded: “When I look at our family today, I sometimes think of the doubters – and the people who were mean or turned their backs on me when I was expecting Chris.

“My message to them would be: ‘Now look at us and what we have.

“We are still together, more than 35 years later, with 22 children, 10 grandchildren and two successful companies.”

In addition to their exuberant Christmas holiday, the family has had several holidays in their new camper.

This includes trips to Edinburgh, Legoland, Center Parcs and Alton Towers.

However, even the mother of Britain’s biggest brood needs some rest as she and her husband Noel also enjoy a number of luxury getaways together.

Instead of just sticking to Britain, the couple also flew to the Maldives and Dubai.

In fact, the family has been on 24 vacations in the last 24 months – something most of us can only dream of.

Sue and Noel shot to fame in 2012 as the parents of Britain’s largest brood and launched a brand new series on Channel 5 in 2021.

They are the parents of Chris, 34, Sophie, 30, Chloe28, Jack, 26, Daniel, 25, Luke, 23, Millie, 22, Katie, 21, James, 20, Ellie, 18, Aimee, 17, Josh, 16, Max, 15, Tillie, 13, Oscar12, Casper, 11, Hallie, eight, Phoebe, seven, Archie, six, Bonnie, five and Heidie, three.

Sadly, the couple’s 17th child, Alfie, was still born on July 6, 2014.

The couple have a thriving cake business, are in the fourth series of their hit TV show and post on various social media channels including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

In their book, Sue also opened up about the family’s previous problems at the check-in counters, interjecting: “They sometimes look at you like they’re thinking, ‘What the hell is going on here?'”

Not only this, but Noel explained that airport staff are often not too happy when the big brood arrive, as he claimed: “We just arrive as one big group, which they don’t seem to like. But splitting us up only creates other problems, not least for the check-in staff.

“There may have been a lot of us, but what seemed to be forgotten on that occasion was that we were all on one booking.

“The man behind the counter who asked us to split into two queues logged onto his computer and tried to check in half of us, and the woman at the other counter did the same for the other half.

“But it took about an hour to resolve this simply because a family under one booking was treated by two different people.”

Noel also admitted that he often feels ’embarrassed’ when the family queues in public, as he shared: “We tend to feel embarrassed when we’re all queuing for something because we be aware that the people behind us will do that. have to wait longer than would normally be the case.

“But then we try to say to ourselves, ‘If there were three different families in front of them, they would still have to wait the same amount of time.’ It does bother you, but then we think: that’s how it is. We are a big family, we can’t do anything about it.”

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By Rebecca Davison for MailOnline

Published: 6:00 AM EDT, March 20, 2024 | Updated: 6:01 AM EDT, March 20, 2024

Kyle Richards does her best to avoid drama around Paris Hilton And Mauricio Umanski.

While participating in a Amazon Live on Tuesday, March 19, Richards, 55, said she had not spoken to Hilton, 43, about her recent comments on social media about Umansky, 53, and his show, Buy Beverly Hills.

“She talked to her cousins ​​and they cleared it all up,” Richards said. “I really thought, ‘No. Please no more.” I can’t handle anything anymore.”

Earlier this month, Netflix unveiled a preview of the second season of the reality show, starring Umansky and his daughters Alexia Umansky, Sophia Umanski And Farrah Aldjufrie. In the clip, Umanksy opened up about his fight with his brother-in-law and Paris’ father. Rick Hilton.

“I think I was let down a little bit by Hilton and Hyland,” he said in the preview. “And when I say f–ked, you know, like today, I’m happy. But there were 100 officers at Hilton and Hyland. For the first time ever, they made $1 billion a year. I was 19.6 percent of their production.”

In a confessional, Umansky added, “I think Hilton and Hyland are a great company, and I would never be caught dead talking bad about them because I don’t think bad about them. And I’m Rick’s brother-in-law. But unfortunately things turned sour because it really affected the family. [my wife] Kyle more than anyone. You know, her family stopped talking to her.”

After the clip began spreading online, Paris spoke out on social media, criticizing Umansky’s decision to relive the family drama.

“My father is a perfect gentleman and has always taken the higher road,” Paris said of the Queen of Bravo Instagram account. “He would never speak negatively about his family, especially in the press. Frankly, we’re all tired of him using the Hilton name every chance he gets to plug his lame show. It’s enough already.”

When asked about the Buy Beverly Hills sneak preview, Richards said she hoped to take a break from the drama afterward Bravo has finished airing the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 13 reunion earlier this month.

“I’m just kind of tired of hearing about everything,” she said on Amazon Live. “For me it was like, ‘Ahh, the reunion is over. Thank God. I can exhale and relax a little.” But no, not too early Kyle. There are more things to come.”

Richards continued, “My family is completely in the public eye, and it’s weird. I’m on television. My niece is on television. My sister is on television. My family is on television. It is much. What can I say?”

The headlines and criticism surrounding Richards and her family have the Bravo star questioning her future on reality TV.

When asked if she has plans to continue Real Housewives of Beverly HillsRichards said, “I can’t answer that today.”

“I need more time to sort out my thoughts and step away for a moment to see how I feel,” she said before revealing who she is still in contact with since filming wrapped. “I ate with you Sutton [Stracke]. I have emailed with Erika [Jayne]talking about coming together Garcelle [Beauvais]. I sent a DM with Crystal [Kung Minkoff] And Anne Marie [Wiley]. I haven’t really met anyone yet. I was out and needed to decompress a little.