Princess Catherine
I must say I was shocked yesterday after watching the video Princess Catherine put out. In this, she tells the world she has had major abdominal surgery, after which cancer was found to be present.
This would be a shock for any person, let alone someone in their early 40s with three young children. This is our future queen.
I myself was in shock for the whole day, thinking of her almost constantly. It must be so difficult having such a high profile and going through this.
I remember the moment I heard Princess Diana had died in a car crash. There was a sport’s game on TV and the presenters announced it during this, but whilst it was it was afternoon for us, it was night time in England. It took a few hours for the rest of the world to wake up and for there to be any kind of real coverage. Then it hit and the world went crazy. I was quite affected, like everyone else, even though I lived thousands of miles away.
It was different with this news. We were the ones waking up to it. Although it is quite different, with the Princess still being alive, it has still come as a shock to me and obviously to many people around the world. I see heads of Government have been sending messages. Whilst this woman has been quietly going about her duties, she has obviously been deeply respected around the world, and by the sound of it, touched thousands of lives along the way. Heads of state come and go, here for a year or two, but the royal family is a constant through all these changes. I guess the longevity of each of the members of the family ensures their fame and recognition world-wide.
Catherine was not born into the role as was her husband. It must be an extremely difficult package to take on, going from normality, to having every aspect of one’s life scrutinised. By all accounts, she has adapted well and done a great job. At times like this, one feels for her. If she were just an ordinary housewife, could she take off as much time as she wanted? Could she retire completely and spend the rest of her life being a mother and doing the things she has always wanted to do? Or would she be worse off, as many are, and forced to keep working just to pay the bills, taking a mere five or six weeks off to recuperate? But speculation is pointless, we all have to navigate our own circumstances. For her, it is a journey in the public eye and most probably always will be. She has asked for privacy, which I am sure will be short-lived.
Facing a cancer diagnosis with a young family and being young oneself, is tough for anyone. Princess Catherine has obviously been a very busy woman. Let’s hope she can have as much time as she needs, to recover, and if she chooses to never work again, lets hope that she could have this option too. We are thinking of you, Princess Catherine, may you make a full recovery.