My theory is that she is being treated for anorexia.

The condition has stigma, so they want to keep it secret.

She has lost so much weight that even a well staged photo shoot couldn’t hide it. So they put out that altered photo.

December to Easter (including a two week hospital stay) sounds right to treat anorexia.

Planned abdominal surgery is just a cover, as it might explain her failure to gain all of the weight back.

I pay very little attention to stuff like this. Yes, I watched a bit of the coronation, and Elizabeth's funeral. I'm a fan of pomp. But I don't understand the breathless anticipation of royal news and doings. I don't mind the monarchy, even in this day and age, but I just don't get all exercised about this kind of stuff.

That's a prelude for saying that the royal family is caught betwixt and between. They want their cushy state subsidies and all the attention, but they also want their privacy as "a family." Sorry, the King is head of state. He's a public figure. His family are public figures. The deceptions they weave in the name of privacy are so obviously in tension with their obligations as public figures receiving substantial public monies.

If they want to be just a normal family with complete privacy then give up the public role and the public dole. Otherwise, be much more forthcoming with the public about important things like the health of the mother of the next king.

I'm not feeling particularly charitable today, I suppose. But c'mon. This family needs to make a choice. What they're doing degrades the position of head of state while fanning prurient interest that invades their privacy.

Cindy's theory of anorexia (or another eating disorder like bulimia) is something that's been on my mind. Heaven knows she's hounded over her appearance on a daily basis. This is why my other theory has been plastic surgery, but that would have been scheduled and she wouldn't have had a calendar full of appearances to cancel.

Unless, of course, there were complications of the plastic surgery, which could be as serious as heart failure, coma, and death. I imagine serious complications are more common in people with eating disorders, so both theories could be true.

I learned something yesterday about bulimia. There is apparently a sign that doctors look for, which is callouses on the back of the fingers or hand from repeated purging. Catherine was photographed several times last year with bandages on her fingers.

I’m betting it was something like a hysterectomy. But it really is nobody’s business but theirs.

She has cancer. Three young kids, I can’t even imagine.

What?!

Off to Google.

Yikes.

Her video message:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68641441

That is heartbreaking. And poor William, dealing with the major health issues of both his wife and father. They have all the resources in the world available to them, but this is still so, so difficult...

It's so sad. I hope she's going to be okay.

Those poor children.

'Preventive chemotherapy' is an interesting phrase.

I feel badly for her.

My late mother had brain cancer and after one chemotherapy treatment, she essentially discontinued treatment.

I was also struck by the term "preventive chemotherapy". I presume that means that they believe that they have surgically excised a cancerous tumor, but are employing chemotherapy in the event that there are some fugitive cancer cells possibly still remaining in the body.

Big Al

Big Al, that's my understanding as well, though I haven't heard the term "preventive" used. I know several people (breast, colon, and bladder cancer) who have been offered optional chemo (and in one case, radiation) after their early stage cancers were thought to have been completely removed surgically. None of them decided to take it, and all of them are still cancer-free, anywhere from five to 30 years after initial diagnosis.

Prince Harry named in Diddy criminal lawsuit.
Edit: apparently, it's a civil lawsuit.

https://youtu.be/xU-RfJQAIt8?si=xbde1UeaKdBrokjV

Meghan probably knew of Epstein (she was a "yacht girl," i.e. prostitute) and definitely knew Prince Andrew (and lied about it), and definitely knew Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie (and lied about it), before she met Prince Harry.

As for Prince Harry, apparently, he's always had bad judgement.

Diddy has left the country.

You can't make this stuff up.