The latest news about Kate Middleton’s recent hospital stay has left royal watchers talking, but one detail has particularly puzzled fans: why haven’t Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis visited their mother?
As speculation circulates, it’s raised questions about how the royal family handles hospital visits and privacy, with some wondering if this absence is due to logistics, tradition, or simply an attempt to keep family life as normal as possible for the young Wales children.
Since Kate’s hospitalization was announced, Prince William has been seen putting aside his public duties to be with his wife, arriving and leaving the clinic discreetly in his $268,000 electric Audi.
He has reportedly visited Kate every day since her procedure, managing to fly under the radar without attracting the usual media frenzy. Both The Sun and The Daily Mail reported William’s visits, and the press’s royal editor Rebecca English revealed that media outlets agreed to maintain a respectful distance from the hospital, refraining from stationing photographers, camera crews, and journalists outside. This request for privacy was intended not only to allow Kate some peace as she recovers but also to maintain a calm environment for the other patients in the clinic. Consequently, William or the Middleton family could, theoretically, bring the young Wales children to visit Kate in private, without press interference.
However, The Sun reported that William and Kate want the experience of their mother’s absence to feel as “normal” as possible for the children, so they’ve opted to keep things low-key, ensuring that George, Charlotte, and Louis are unaffected by the temporary separation during school days. This is understandable for weekday routines, but it’s raised a few eyebrows as to why they didn’t visit over the weekend. After all, Adelaide Cottage, the family’s residence, is only a 45-minute drive from Kate’s hospital, a manageable distance for a brief family reunion, especially over a weekend when school schedules wouldn’t interfere.
The royal couple’s new “family-first, day job second” motto, shared by a royal aide in The Sunday Times, adds another layer to the mystery. The motto suggests a focus on prioritizing family above all, which would align with bringing the kids to see Kate. Given this approach, some are questioning whether keeping the children from visiting truly matches this family-first philosophy.
Rebecca English, The Daily Mail’s royal editor, has offered some insight, explaining that traditionally, royals don’t visit each other in hospitals, or if they do, only very rarely. Hospital visits among royals are infrequent, but then again, there haven’t been many notable royal hospital stays in recent years, aside from those of Prince Philip. So, this situation brings up new questions around royal family norms and whether they would still apply to William, Kate, and their young children in these modern times.
This contrast is particularly evident in recent examples: King Charles III, upon arriving at the London Clinic, “made a beeline” to see his daughter-in-law, while Queen Camilla managed three visits to see her husband, King Charles, within just 24 hours. These gestures from senior members of the royal family add an interesting layer to the family dynamics, leading some to wonder if there are unspoken rules that only apply in certain situations.
It’s clear that Buckingham Palace has had its share of health concerns lately. Perhaps it’s time, as some have joked, for Camilla to invest in some crystals, sage, or even a shaman to clear out any lingering “bad juju” or misfortune hovering over the royal household. But whether or not these whispers about a family “curse” are true, the royal family continues to approach each challenge with discretion, balancing public expectations with their personal needs.
As Kate recuperates and the young Wales children go about their usual routines, royal fans are left to speculate on whether tradition, practicality, or a protective instinct is guiding William and Kate’s decisions.