What would you do if someone let you know that they were about to have major surgery and would need a significant amount of time off to recuperate? You see, this is exactly what has happened with the Princess of Wales. There was an announcement that she was going to have planned but serious abdominal surgery and that she would not be taking on public duties until at least Easter.
Now, I think that most people in Britian and indeed around the world have found this quite a straightforward matter. Most of us, to be frank, regardless of whether we are royalist, republican or somewhere in between,[1] weren’t particularly concerned. Of course, it would be odd not to be sympathetic to a young family but generally speaking, our lives are not heavily affected by Royal comings and goings. Most of us will not meet a significant member o the Royal Family. The closest I’ve got is that Kate’s car once was escorted at reasonable speed past our church café! I have also met one of the minor royals (the Duke of Kent) at the Farnborough airshow, but that’s it. So, if some members of the Royal Family are not available to open flower shows and visit charities, it isn’t going to make a material difference to our day to day lives.
For most of us, the reason that we haven’t seen the Princess on the front pages is therefore neither of major concern nor a surprise. We were told that she wouldn’t be, we were given the reason and that should be enough.
However, some people have not been satisfied with this. In recent weeks, social media has seen tweets, threads and posts trending along the lines of “where is Kate?” In reality, a lot of this has been generated by obvious bot accounts from a certain country to the east of Poland. They also seem to have then been picked up and kicked about by others on Social media, usually from a country across the sea which was meant to have said farewell to royalty a few hundred years ago but where some of its citizens seem more obsessed and intrigued by the House of Windsor than the king’s actual subjects.
And these social media rumours and grumbles have made their way into the newspapers too. Suddenly, we have a crisis. A little bit of amateur photoshop touching up of a family picture, far less major than what most of us can now do on a Google Pixel phone has become a major deal. Add to that, a couple of people of TikTok claimed that they had been pre-notified of a Royal announcement and this week we were treated to all kinds of bizarre claims about abdications, deaths and divorces.
Again, it is not as though we have to second guess how such announcements were made. We only have to look back to 2023 to see how the death of a monarch would be revealed. And, whatever you might think about monarchy, the big selling point is that the death of such a head of state in office is normal and so not a crisis or something requiring a cover up. Nor incidentally, more sadly would a royal divorce.
So, again, the obvious truth is that we aren’t awaiting some bombshell royal announcement/ That doesn’t mean that there never will be one, it just means that the conspiracy theories have no relationship to reality whatsoever.
Which begs the question “Why the obsession from some quarters and why the need for drama?” I think the answer can be seen when you look at where the obsession tends to lie. In the case of the tabloid press, they need a royal drama on the front pages to boost their dwindling circulation. In the case of the bots, it’s part of geopolitics and an attempt to destabilise western democracies.
But then, there seem to be a collection of other people with their own idiosyncratic agendas. In the end, it boils down to the desperate need for drama.
Now, I doubt that those people read my blog but if they did, I would say two things. First, it really isn’t your business what is going on in the family of the Head of State of another country. Second, if your time is filled gossiping about someone who is currently recovering from major surgery, then you need to have a serious word with yourself.
The third thing I would say however, is something I think each of us needs to hear, whether or not we are hooked on this particular story. We may or may not get caught up in royal watching but I think there is something in all of us that needs a little drama. The result is that we risk getting caught up in little soap operas.
So, here’s the crucial point. When you get caught up in the great drama of the best story, when you discover the unfolding narrative of the Gospel, then the need for little soap operas should subside.
[1] I fall into the latter category. I’m not a keen royalist, I like many people appreciated the public service and character of Queen Elizabeth II but was both less enamoured wither heirs and successors and less convinced of the long term viability of a hereditary monarchy. At the same time, constitutional upheaval on this matter seems hardly a major priority given the many challenges we face as a nation.
Faithroots 