Kate's cancer diagnosis

Stars are now ashamed of wild speculation

Princess Kate made her cancer diagnosis public with a poignant speech on Friday.

(Bild: APA/Tolga Akmen/Pool Photo via AP)

The fact that Princess Kate made her cancer public in a video message was also linked to a wish. "We hope you will understand that as a family we need some time, space and privacy right now," said the 42-year-old. The fact that there had previously been wild speculation about her absence not only sparked a debate about the royals' privacy, but above all about society's approach to social media.

"How cruel it must be to be recovering from an operation and then hear that your absence seems suspicious," wrote author Rachel Cooke in the British newspaper The Observer. "How awful to be going through chemotherapy and know that if you step outside your front door, you're very likely to be photographed."

Blake Lively apologizes for joke
Since Kate's announcement, some have been self-critical. Actress Blake Lively apologized for a joke she posted. "I made a silly post around the "photoshop fail" and oh man, that post embarrassed me today. I'm sorry. I always send love and well wishes to everyone," Lively wrote on Instagram.

In the Independent newspaper, one author wrote that he was now ashamed to have indulged in conspiracy theories: "If there's one good thing about this whole thing, it's that it might encourage us to think twice before shooting our mouths off about the next 'big secret'."

Get well wishes from the stars
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, had already called last week for everyone to be given rest when they are ill. He blamed the internet for the fact that rumors get out of hand quickly these days: "It's just old-fashioned village gossip that can now spread around the world in seconds, and we need to turn away from it."

Gwyneth Paltrow, Olivia Munn, Rita Wilson and Jamie-Lee Curtis publicly praised the Princess of Wales for her courage and called for Kate's privacy to be respected on Instagram.

Platforms flush controversial content to the top
BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg asked an expert how it could have come to this in recent weeks. There is a simple truth behind this - namely how social media platforms work, said Imran Ahmed, head of the organization CCDH (Center for Countering Digital Hate), which campaigns against online hate. He accused the platforms of flushing controversial content to the top.

"You see a curated selection. Curated by an algorithm," said Ahmed. The selection is designed to be as addictive as possible. Controversies, conspiracy narratives and hate are promoted. Posts that people disagree with and think to themselves: "That's complete nonsense. Why would you say that?"

Ahmed referred to a psychological effect called the "illusory truth effect": "The more often we see something, the more likely we are to believe it to be true." But this can be misleading. According to Paddy Harverson, a former advisor to the royals, online speculation and media coverage can reinforce each other, creating a vicious circle. "And it's as bad as I've ever seen it."

Kate gave "the speech of her life"
The video message, which went viral around the world, showed Princess Kate sitting alone on a bench. Daffodils were blooming in the background and she was wearing a striped sweater and jeans. The daughter-in-law of King Charles III said that tests after her operation had revealed that she had cancer and that she was now receiving chemotherapy as a precaution. Perhaps this resonates with many people because they have experienced cancer themselves - and Kate is such a young woman with three small children.

Before her moving speech, Princess Kate also met with King Charles, who praised the 42-year-old for her courage.

(Bild: APA/Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP)

According to author Tessa Dunlop, who wrote a book about the late Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, the video will be a defining moment for the royal family. "While everyone around her seemed to have lost their minds, Kate - not generally known for groundbreaking speeches - gave the speech of her life," says Dunlop in the Independent. Kate's display of humanity and fragility was a reminder that pain knows no hierarchy.

Dunlop compared the video to a speech by the young Elizabeth, who had dedicated herself to a life of service on her 21st birthday. "My whole life, should it be short or long," the then heir to the throne promised in 1947, she wanted to dedicate to her subjects. In her own hour of need, Kate thanked others and confidently reached out to people who were suffering from cancer themselves. For Britain's future Queen, the video message is now likely to become part of her history.