# What do the dopers think of the Kate Middleton brouhaha **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723 "2024-03-11T23:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/361 "2024-03-22T18:52:43Z")
I was afraid it was gonna be a cancer. Dang. That’s sad. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/362 "2024-03-22T19:08:43Z")
I can’t even imagine the stress Prince William is under right now. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/363 "2024-03-22T19:21:22Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I wish they hadn’t made it even worse than it was on its own. The coverup is almost always worse than the crime; had they not released any picture last week there wouldn’t have been any brouhaha. As for the question in the title; I read the first 20ish posts (100% of what was there at the time) but haven’t been back in until the news broke today because I just didn’t care that much about the brouhaha. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/364 "2024-03-22T19:22:37Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Again, not knowing really anything but the surface bitching I’ve seen on Twitter, I’m thinking … are you ghouls happy now? Or are they just going go with they don’t believe her and will continue to pour shit on her? This. I doubt the online ghouls will give up their cruel speculations. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/365 "2024-03-22T19:29:29Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > are you ghouls happy now? I dunno, are the ghouls in the palace happy that they took a woman who at that point, they _knew_ had cancer and put out a statement in her name claiming some farcical lie about a photoshop hobby that they knew would subject her to endless amounts of ridicule and would eventually be proven definitively false by the revelation that it was an obvious coverup for cancer? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/366 "2024-03-22T19:30:44Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > they were waiting until the kids were at home on break to tell them and be with them, before making it public Understandable, and it helps explain the contrast with how relatively forthcoming they were in announcing the King’s ailment. Nobody would be surprised that old grandpa is sick. Different deal for a mother of young children. As mentioned, they did not need to flail at it with the misdirection pictures. They had already announced she would not resume public activities until after Easter, they should have stood firm on that and said, after Easter we will tell you what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/367 "2024-03-22T19:37:13Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Again, not knowing really anything but the surface bitching I’ve seen on Twitter, I’m thinking … are you ghouls happy now? Or are they just going go with they don’t believe her and will continue to pour shit on her? There will always be someone ready, nay, eager to “pour shit” on anyone famous, but especially a famous woman. I don’t expect it to stop, unfortunately > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I was afraid it was gonna be a cancer. Dang. That’s sad. Yes, yes it is. I hope it’s treatable and she still has a good, long life ahead of her. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/368 "2024-03-22T19:43:57Z")
Ghouls for not wanting every Tom, Dick and Douchebag to speculate and heap shit? No. The ghouls are the ones who are now still heaping shit on her and the royal family for not feeding their prurient interests fast enough. And a disclaimer - I give about as much a shit about the royal family as I do about the Toledo Mudhens, but this whole thing is incredibly unseemly. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/369 "2024-03-22T20:00:16Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Ghouls for not wanting every Tom, Dick and Douchebag to speculate and heap shit? Yup, they really accomplished that! Forcing the palace to dump all of the blame on Kate’s shoulders definitely eliminated any degree of speculation remaining, as it predictably should have. This is an asinine tangent, obviously the decision to handle the situation the way it has wasn’t to protect Kate but to protect more powerful interests and I hold nobody but the palace responsible for turning what could have been an inspirational moment of coming together (like, um, Charles’ announcment) into an omnishambles PR disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/370 "2024-03-22T20:17:41Z")
So the part of me that’s going to hell thought > [@](#): > > What if Kate _is_ dead, but the only lookalike they could find was bald? So _now_ they need a _new_ cover story. But that’s wrong, so instead I’ll just say that I would hope that the Crown considers this an opportunity to become a public face of dealing with cancer. If she is going to struggle with her looks, or her health, it would benefit those who watch her to do so publicly, in that it would put a personal face on an all too common affliction. People might be more sympathetic to seeing how cancer, and its treatment, stress the body, if they saw Princess Katherine endure. I’m certain that, despite how horrible this is for her, it is going to result in increased money for cancer research and eventual cures, both from the government and private donations. Depending on her comfort level with the exposure, Kate could do some real humanitarian good. I think that if she instead hides away, or continues to try to manipulate her image, it will only increase the stigma associated with the disease. So while she is _entitled_ to her privacy, I actually hope that the Princess becomes more open in response. (Although, from what little I know, I don’t think that’s her nature). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/371 "2024-03-22T20:19:50Z")
_Douchbag_ is a filthy ugly word to call some one. I hate seeing it written or hear it said. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/372 "2024-03-22T21:36:38Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I can’t even imagine the stress Prince William is under right now. Back in the fall of 2019, my wife was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer, while down the hall in the same hospital at the same time, my mom was undergoing radiotherapy treatments for pancreatic cancer - so I can imagine it pretty well. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/373 "2024-03-22T22:04:49Z")
They also take things into account like how long the record was accessed or if pages were printed off. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/374 "2024-03-22T22:14:59Z")
I agree, even if both his father and his wife have good prognoses. As for hospital computer systems having various levels of VIP or privacy statuses, that is absolutely correct. People can even sign in under fake names if they wish, and we also had the “Doe” series for unidentified patients. I remember one time at the old hospital, in the late 00s, when all the TV stations announced an all points bulletin for a criminal on the lam who was very dangerous. A day or two later, one of the technicians said there was a person with that name on the psych unit, and said, “We have to let them know they have a fugitive on the floor!” I replied that they probably already knew and also knew how to deal with it, and (I can say this because this part was on the news later on) he was indeed arrested, and admitted to the psych unit when he attempted suicide at the jail. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/375 "2024-03-22T22:28:49Z")
They coulda just come out and said so in the first place. It isn’t like they lacked a precedent: Big Chuck had just announced the same thing. What was the need to be coy? Coincidences happen. To be fair, I inferred from today’s announcement that they were trying to break it to the kids very slowly. Mismanage your announcements, get a brouhaha. Crazy-ass world, huh? You just can’t win. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/376 "2024-03-22T22:29:39Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I can’t even imagine the stress Prince William is under right now. I’m kind of hoping this crisis (or pair of crises) might help heal the rift between William and his brother. As for calling people here “ghouls” for wondering about the Princess of Wales, I don’t see it. It’s not as if she reads anything here or anything ever said here has any real-world impact anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/377 "2024-03-22T22:38:07Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > …or anything ever said here has any real-world impact anywhere. Google certain topics and you can wind up with a thread from this forum in the early results. I have also seen this message board quoted in other media. What’s said here might not _usually_ have an effect in the real world but it could. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/378 "2024-03-22T22:41:34Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > They coulda just come out and said so in the first place. It isn’t like they lacked a precedent: Big Chuck had just announced the same thing. What was the need to be coy? It was barely a century ago that the king’s doctor killed him with a lethal dose of cocaine so that his death could be reported in the morning papers instead of the more unseemly evening papers. Openness and honesty has never been the Firm’s strong suit. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/379 "2024-03-22T22:44:30Z")
We probably do have a small footprint in the big wide world of Internet info. I hate trying to research to get real information and see miles of crap that means nothing or is so wrong as to be scary. Gotta deal with it somehow. I do really despise the name calling. It is just such a juvenile look and there are better words you can use to describe someone without it. (Yep. I’ve done my share of it. I try to do better.) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/380 "2024-03-22T22:46:29Z")
What name calling are you talking about? You posted above about hating “douchbag” but as far as I can tell, you’re the only person to use it in this thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723.md?page=20)