# 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:** 22
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/421 "2024-03-23T17:40:57Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > If it is, there’s a very high probability that she has a BRCA1 mutation. (Among women without a BRCA1 mutation, only about 1% develop ovarian cancer, while among women with the BRCA1 mutation, the probability is over 40%. A 40% chance of developing ovarian cancer if BRCA1 positive still does not translate to a high probability of being BRCA1 if one has ovarian cancer. According to the CDC it’s about a 10% chance of having BRCA 1 or 2 given having ovarian cancer. 90% chance not. I do see another site going as high a 20% but still the probability is not. [The BRCA1 and BRCA2 Genes | CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/breast_ovarian_cancer/genes_hboc.htm#:~:text=About%203%25%20of%20breast%20cancers,the%20BRCA1%20and%20BRCA2%20genes). I wonder about a hysterectomy done for something like symptomatic fibroids that showed early endometrial cancer. Really none of our business though, as free as we are to guess. Stupid thought to have put out a photograph that was misinformation. That’s different than simply keeping it private. ---
**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 23, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/422 "2024-03-23T18:48:38Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > today, it just seems really weird to say, “she has cancer”. Doesn’t seem so to me. Unless I was specifying what kind, I’d just say he/she/I have cancer, indicating the sufferer has that disease. Saying “have a cancer” suggests it’s some specific location, and I’d expect “have breast/lung/etc. cancer”. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/423 "2024-03-23T18:53:20Z")
It’s not whether you include “a”. It’s that cancer is hundreds of different diseases, each with a very different prognosis. “I have thyroid cancer” is just a completely different story from “i have pancreatic cancer”, just like “i broke a bone in my little finger” is very different from “i broke my hip”. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/424 "2024-03-23T18:56:07Z")
I think that kind of depends - if it was a close friend or relative , I would hear/say a specific cancer. Either “I have breast cancer” or mentioning that I had a nodule in my thyroid and it was malignant . Co-worker/neighbor - just “I have cancer” . Because they don’t really need to know anymore than that while my sister/cousin/daughter might. ---
**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 23, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/425 "2024-03-23T19:00:05Z")
Well, sure, **puzzlegal** , but my feeling is the announcement “have cancer” so phrasd is in fact meant to provide the general fact of illness without specifying just where in the body it is. What specific kind of cancer is nobody’s business but the family’s. ETA: Yes, **doreen** , that’s my feeling about it too. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/426 "2024-03-23T19:07:40Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > What specific kind of cancer is nobody’s business but the family’s. In a sick twisted way peculiar to monarchies, the Princess’s uterus is kinda _everybody’s_ business. ---
**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 23, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/427 "2024-03-23T19:10:25Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > No, I’m just surprised she didn’t give less detail. “The princess is undergoing medical treatment and is not expected to be available to do her job for at least 3 more months” is more like what you owe your employer. Well… yes… but for that long an absence my employer wants something from a doctor and it’s sort of inevitable that’s going to give _some_ information… but for Kate, yes, that’s probably all she actually “owes” the general public. > [@chela](#): > > Now it reminded of a friend who experienced a molar pregnancy which is not a baby but a medical condition that can lead to complications and cancer. Basically a tumor that grows from a non viable pregnancy. Treated with chemotherapy. Rarely requires a hysterectomy, While all of that is possible I just remind every _we don’t know what sort of abdominal surgery she had._ “Hysterectomy” is complete speculation, as would be “appendicitis”, “gall bladder removal”, or any number of plentiful possibilities. > [@markn\_1](#): > > Here’s something I just thought of. Given it was found during abdominal surgery, it seems plausible it’s ovarian cancer. If it is, there’s a very high probability that she has a BRCA1 mutation. Again - complete speculation. We have no way to know if Kate’s “abdominal surgery” involved the lady parts or not, or even so whether the cancer was in them or discovered on a neighboring organ or… well, we just don’t know. People seem to automatically assume cancer in a women is either breast, uterine, or ovarian but women have other parts that can also become cancerous. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > In a sick twisted way peculiar to monarchies, the Princess’s uterus is kinda _everybody’s_ business. I’d argue that since she’s produced the heir and the spare and a spare spare then no, it’s not the business of anyone else any longer. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/428 "2024-03-23T19:19:27Z")
I was thinking ovarian cancer, which TBH is almost always a death sentence. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/429 "2024-03-23T19:22:23Z")
It’s now known that a molar pregnancy results from a polar body (extra cells formed in the process that produces an egg) being fertilized. Interestingly, a potentially warning sign is, of all things, hyperemesis, because it also produces massively high hormone levels. I first heard of this when my old neighbor had one that was indeed malignant, and seemed to defy treatment. When I got Internet access a decade later, I did find out that she was still alive, so they must have found something that finally worked. ---
**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 23, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/430 "2024-03-23T19:36:01Z")
Maybe it’s colorectal cancer. Getting intestines removed and the chance of cancerous cells found is brutal. Uterus may not even be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/431 "2024-03-23T19:36:33Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > According to the CDC it’s about a 10% chance of having BRCA 1 or 2 given having ovarian cancer. 90% chance not. I do see another site going as high a 20% but still the probability is not. Thanks, that’s much lower than I thought. Apparently that’s because a BRCA mutation in general is fairly rare; only about 1 in 400 people have it from what I’m seeing. So most ovarian cancer cases are in non-BRCA-positive women, even though the occurence rate in such women is only about 1%. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I was thinking ovarian cancer, which TBH is almost always a death sentence. The prognosis is usually poor because in its early stages ovarian cancer mostly has no symptoms, so it’s usually not caught until it’s in a late stage, at which point it’s too late for treatment to be effective. But in Kate’s case, if it was detected during unrelated surgery and not due to symptoms, it could be that it was caught at an early stage. In that case the prognosis would be better. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/432 "2024-03-23T19:42:19Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’d argue that since she’s produced the heir and the spare and a spare spare then no, it’s not the business of anyone else any longer. And, further, she’s 42 years old. While conceiving at age 42 (assuming good overall health) is certainly possible, the odds of becoming pregnant rapidly decline by age 40 and older. > [@](#): > > So for women between 40 and 45, it’s actually changing quite rapidly with each passing year. So on average, when we look at large groups of women, of women who want to conceive at age 40, about half will get pregnant naturally. But that decreases quickly to perhaps 20% to 25% by age 42 to 43. And by age 45, it’s quite rare to become pregnant naturally. > **[Fertility Treatments After Age 40](https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/health-library/all/2021/10/fertility-treatments-after-age-40)** > > For women over 40 and experiencing difficulties getting pregnant, it's advisable to consult with a fertility specialist to explore viable options. The strategies and medical interventions for conception vary based on age, and understanding the... ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/433 "2024-03-23T19:59:03Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Interestingly, a potentially warning sign is, of all things, hyperemesis Kate had this with all three of her pregnancies. > **[Kate Middelton's hyperemesis gravidarum: What is it?](https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/kate-middleton-s-hyperemesis-gravidarum-what-it-ncna799116)** > > It's real, but there is no cure for it because nobody knows what exactly causes it. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/434 "2024-03-23T20:08:53Z")
I was somewhat baffled by her use of the phrase “preventative chemotherapy”. That can be a thing for certain precancerous conditions, but if you already have cancer, that ship has sailed. I found an article that suggested she may have been referring to adjuvant chemotherapy, which is done in conjunction with cancer surgery — either before to smooth out the tumor and clean up the edges, or afterwards to eradicate any cancer cells that may have spread throughout the body. _ **If** _ that is indeed what she meant, that suggests that _something_ was removed during her major abdominal surgery - and I think the most likely narrative is that she had a hysterectomy, afterwards they found either cervical or uterine cancer, and she is now undergoing “preventative” chemotherapy in case any of the cancer cells spread outside the uterus. I guess they also could have found a tumor during abdominal surgery for another procedure and removed it, but that doesn’t really fit with “we were really surprised when the post-surgical tests showed cancer”. This theory points to an abdominal organ being removed, and cancers of the appendix and gall bladder are rare….and I can’t think of other abdominal organs that are routinely surgically removed. On the other hand, she could’ve used the word “preventative” as a filler word in an attempt to soften her diagnosis, and it may have meant nothing more than “chemo prevents the cancer from growing, so it’s preventative”. In any case, I wish her well, but she didn’t do herself any favors by keeping her diagnosis vague….shes just inviting the kind of speculation we’ve been engaging in. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/435 "2024-03-23T20:16:33Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I found an article that suggested she may have been referring to adjuvant chemotherapy, I’ve heard this term used by the medical correspondents of both CNN and MSNBC, so apparently your reasoning is shared by many medical professionals. Kate’s use of ‘preventative,’ instead, might have been advised as a means of limiting her remarks to vocabulary shared by most lay people. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/436 "2024-03-23T20:22:52Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > No, I’m just surprised she didn’t give less detail. “The princess is undergoing medical treatment and is not expected to be available to do her job for at least 3 more months” is more like what you owe your employer. I think she’s stuck in the middle: if she just said she was ill and would not be making appearances, there’d be gossip about what was really going on and if it was “enough” to justify her leave. There’d be suggestions she had a mental breakdown or plastic surgery or whatever. “Cancer” is universally recognized as a terrible thing that can happen to anyone and that when it does, you just stop everything else and handle it. It’s the single most likely “excuse” to get everyone off her back for a while, and if it’s true (I assume it is), she’d surely really like to use it. On the other hand, if it’s cervical cancer, that’s an STI. So that’s a whole different type of speculation. Was she cheating on William? Did she get it before she met him? Was he cheating on her? What if he did, and she dies? He literally killed her (though, again, there’s a lot more nuance than that in those sort of circumstances). If it is cervical cancer, she just absolutely could NOT say say so, ever ever ever. So yeah. I think “Have cancer/need chemo” is the rational choice there. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/437 "2024-03-23T20:36:54Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > So yeah. I think “Have cancer/need chemo” is the rational choice there. Sure. And also: > [@Loach](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > 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. > > It was barely a century ago but long before the current press culture and social media. Only a couple of people were involved. _And the details still got out._ You would think that by now they would know the details will get out. They can’t stop it they can only package it properly. I fully expect to eventually learn many more details, whether i want to or not. (And I don’t really care very much, being an American.) Once again > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I hope she has someone who can give her good advice about dealing with the press now. She’s going to need it. Because there’s a whole nation of people who care a great deal about every little detail. And a lot of money involved in that information. And if she didn’t even realize what a dumb idea it was to release an obviously photoshopped image as “proof of life”, she clearly needs guidance. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/438 "2024-03-23T20:38:27Z")
I find the profound fascination with the most intimate details of celebrities rather unseemly, but … If Taylor Swift went radio silent for a couple weeks, and then made a very generic announcement about fighting cancer, it would be rather unrealistic to expect a leviathan and devoted/animated fan base that had been carefully cultivated and nurtured over years to just flip off the light switch and patiently await her next update. Yeah. The human nature part. Ya’ takes the good with the bad, sometimes. Cancer really _doesn’t_ discriminate, though, does it. Who among us hasn’t had it touch us or somebody we love? Few, I would guess, and maybe too young to be on this message board. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/439 "2024-03-23T20:44:41Z")
The Washington Post has a decent article about the press circus, and people who do and don’t feel bad about their role in it. > **[They obsessed over Catherine. Now they’re hit with a sobering truth.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2024/03/22/kate-middleton-ashamed-regret/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzExMDgwMDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzEyNDYyMzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MTEwODAwMDAsImp0aSI6ImY0MjMzNDY1LTk1ZjYtNDExZS1hYjAxLTExYmJmZTE3OWY2ZiIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9zdHlsZS9vZi1pbnRlcmVzdC8yMDI0LzAzLzIyL2thdGUtbWlkZGxldG9uLWFzaGFtZWQtcmVncmV0LyJ9.ujlkzKfL7TrdhrkBlMPB89yQPuuvq_goK57QgZoDb-w&itid=gfta)** > > After weeks of unhinged rumors — affairs! Brazilian butt lifts! — do the Princess Kate watchers feel shame? Sort of. (Gift link) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/440 "2024-03-23T21:12:06Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I think the most likely narrative is that she had a hysterectomy A hysterectomy doesn’t require a 2-week hospital stay afterward, though. > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Cancer really _doesn’t_ discriminate, though, does it. Who among us hasn’t had it touch us or somebody we love? Yes. Fuck cancer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723.md?page=23)