Earl Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, has spoken about the current situation surrounding Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales. He said that he worries about the "truth" and that the press scrutiny suffered by his sister was far "more dangerous," in an interview with the BBC.
"I do worry about what happened to the truth," the 59-year-old told BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Notably, Kate Middleton has been away from the public eye since December, leaving social media users speculating about the UK royal. According to Kensington Palace, the 42-year-old is recovering at home after a "planned abdominal surgery" in January.
He compared the situation to that of his sister and said that what Princess Diana went through was risky. "I think it was more dangerous back in the day. I think, if I look back to '97 and Diana's death, I think that was so shocking too - the circumstances of her death were so shocking, that it did make the industry that supports the paparazzi really consider more carefully what it could and couldn't do," he said.
Mr Spencer added, "Not because they had a moral judgement, but because it was unacceptable to the public." The then Princess of Wales died on August 31, 1997, at the age of 36, in a tragic car accident in Paris.
Meanwhile, Ms Middleton is likely to address her health concerns at a public event. Catherine, who is widely known by her maiden name of Kate Middleton, may discuss her recovery during her public engagements, the UK newspaper The Times reported on Saturday. "I can see a world in which the princess might discuss her recovery out on engagements. If she was going to do it, that's how she would do it. I would expect that to be her instinct and it will be her call. They're not going to be rushed." a royal source said.
It was also reported that the royal's senior staff members are not aware of her post-recovery process. Some of the staffers stated that she was nowhere to be seen.
"A few of Kate's senior staffers haven't been able to see or speak to her, and they didn't even know about the surgery until it was announced, so it's caught them off guard," a source told Us Weekly. Some of them had no idea about the surgery until it was announced by Kensington Palace. "Only a few people know what's really going on, and they're tight-lipped. It's confusing and causing some concern," they continued.
A "shroud of secrecy" surrounds Ms Middleton, the report continued, adding that the only guests have been the cancer-stricken King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla. It added that the palace is keeping the royal's post-op recuperation "very hush-hush."
"Kate's said she feels she's entitled to heal and recuperate without all of this frenzied speculation. Neither Kate nor William think her medical records should be for public consumption. She's trying not to pay attention to all the rumours and gossip, and William is doing his best to shield her, but it's distressing," they added.
