One of the reasons why I decided not to be a mother was because I preferred to avoid my kids asking why Princess Ariel isn’t real, but Princess Kate is. How do you explain that to a kid? And what would you tell your kid if they ask what a Princess does in real life?
Let’s start with the fact that –annually– the British government grants its monarch a payment funded by taxpayers, known as the Sovereign Grant, which covers the cost of the monarchy’s official duties. I can argue that the Monarchy has a responsibility to the people as theirs is not entirely a private fortune. The King, the Queen, the Prince, the Princess, and all the other Disney-like characters belong to the people.
My Arguments
When one of these fairy tale characters goes missing, the people have a right to know why that’s the case and what exactly is going on. This is my first argument; here comes the second:
“The Firm”, as the monarchy is called, is an organized entity with defined roles and functions. That’s very important. If that wasn’t the case, we could think of each one of its members as independent entities like you and me, who basically only represent ourselves. When I post a manipulated, fake photo on my social media pretending it’s real, then I’m lying. I’m the liar. Nobody but me.
When Princess Kate posts a manipulated, fake photo, pretending it’s real, it’s “The Firm” who’s lying, not her. I refuse to believe the future Queen of the United Kingdom has her own Instagram account which only she manages. That can’t be the case. I can’t prove this, but I trust my common sense when I believe someone manages her IG account and that she’s not allowed to post whatever crosses her mind. Whatever Princess Kate says is a direct message from “The Firm” as –since joining it– she ceases to be a private person. She is not a regular person like you and me. The Princess of Wales is an entity, an organization. She doesn’t go around making decisions for herself like the rest of us do. Let’s make that very clear.
The Missing Princess
More than two months went by without the whole world knowing where Kate was and how she was doing. As “The Firm” kept quiet, people began to come up with explanations to the mystery. And so, the conspiracies were born. We all know about them. I don’t need to list them here.
When you become a public figure who makes a living out of being such, you lose the privileges a normal citizen has. And I’m talking about privacy. So, it makes total sense that people would start even joking about the situation. After all, no one but “The Firm” knew what was going on.
The subject was in everyone’s mind and mouth, and many people were posting about it on their social media. Kim Kardashian posted she was “On her way to find Kate”. Talk show host Stephen Colbert joked about the Princess’ “disappearance” in a recent monologue. TV presenter Andy Cohen commented he didn’t believe it was Kate in the edited photo “The Firm” released of the Princess and her 3 children. Even Blake Lively joined in by posting a photo of her head that was edited onto another woman’s body. And she wrote: “I’m so excited to share this new photo I just took today… Now you know why I’ve been MIA.”
She’s Alive! Is She, Though?
Then a video came out on her Instagram account where you can see Princess Kate explaining she has cancer. And now the whole world finally knows what the hell is going on. In theory… Before new doubts arose about the validity of said video –and now that they knew that the Princess supposedly has cancer– a very ashamed Lively and Cohen apologized for their jokes. Kardashian hasn’t said a word. (Good for you, the absolute Queen of plastic!).
It gets more and more messier. Now, a statement from Getty Images says: “This clip has been supplied by a third-party entity and may not align with Getty Images’ editorial guidelines.” And they clarified to E! News that the editorial note was appended as it’s customary for any visual content sourced from external organizations –in this instance, Kensington Palace. This annotation follows a series of determinations by prominent agencies that the palace does not qualify as a “reliable source.” Prompted by the release of a very altered photograph of the Princess and her children on UK’s Mother’s Day.
Here Comes the Fairy Tale
So, you’ve got celebrities apologizing for their jokes now that we know Kate supposedly has cancer. But, why would they apologize to a Disney character in the first place? I know cancer is cruel because I’ve been close enough to it. I understand jokes about cancer can be tasteless, but then, humor is subjective. Is it not? It is!
It’s 2024, folks! A monarchy? When is enough, enough? How do so many people still believe and adore a monarchy? How can a “princess” come out in a video speaking about whatever and now the whole world is sad and feeling guilty? I keep confirming that most of humanity is embarrassingly stupid and this is the only reason to justify the perennial fairy tale. It’s like we’re in a Disney movie!
If it’s true that she’s alive and sick, I hope the woman heals because I would prefer it if no human being ever suffered. And I wish cancer was only part of the fictionalized Disney rhetoric. But here we are, surrounded by stupidity, kings, queens, princes, and princesses, fake photos, and possibly manipulated videos. And the supposedly capable and smart people are now apologizing for their harmless and innocent jokes… UGH.
