What the Kate Middleton mystery reveals about the crown

Kategate, explained. vox.com/culture CULTURE   I have never given a hot-buttered damn about the British royal family. Even when I was a kid, the institution’s fantasy didn’t appeal to me; the reek of oppressive protocol and unearned privilege always overwhelmed its glamour and intrigue. The more I understood about the repugnant behavior Kensington Palace enabled among the press, the more off-putting I found it. When my family tuned in to watch royal weddings and funerals, I tuned out; I couldn’t even make it through season one of The Crown. And yet, to my surprise, there’s something about the Kate Middleton imbroglio that I simply cannot look away from. As I’ve tried to understand why I suddenly care about a story I’ve been ignoring literally my whole life, Constance Grady’s [examination of Kate’s reliability as her defining characteristic]( was illuminating. Along the edges of the family’s ham-fisted scramble to cover up whatever’s going on, I see a person who’s determined to withdraw her dependability from an organization that doesn’t deserve it. To me, the Gone, Girlness of the episode, Kate’s evident unwillingness or inability to help the palace froth up an explanation for her absence, accords a rotten institution all the dignity it deserves: none. Maybe that’s why I find this particular royal story so fascinating : There’s actually something in it I can relate to. —[Keren Landman](, senior reporter Who is the British royal family willing to protect? [Princess Catherine; Prince William; Prince Harry; and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex outside Windsor Castle, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.]( Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images Have you heard the news? Princess Catherine of Wales, formerly Kate Middleton, seems to be missing. Kate hasn’t been seen in public since several weeks before she reportedly underwent abdominal surgery, a fact that first made the internet alarmed and then, later, very amused. Over the past week, a series of highly questionable photos of Kate have made their way to the public, culminating in one picture that was so heavily and amateurishly Photoshopped that multiple photo agencies, including the AP and Reuters, issued a kill notice for it. The Palace appears to be [trying in a very ham-fisted way to cover something up](. Instead, they only fueled the internet’s appetite for gossip. The story has crossed from the group chats of royal watchers into the mainstream media. Even Colbert’s on it as of Tuesday night. That’s because this surreal saga is about more than any one illness, any one photograph, or even any one princess. The British royal family theoretically has a sophisticated apparatus in place to manage their reputations and the reputation of the throne. So for them to bungle a story as badly as they have bungled this one is fascinating. What’s perhaps most fascinating about it is that they seem to have messed up in the first place [in an attempt to protect Kate and her privacy]( — which raises all sorts of questions about whom the British throne is willing to protect, and whom they throw to the wolves instead. [Read the full story »](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Why the **** does everyone swear all the ******* time? Curse words shift a lot over time. They’re in the middle of a big shift right now. [Read the full story »]( Is Justin Timberlake the pop star anyone wants? A new kind of masculinity is dominating music — leaving little room for yesterday’s pop idol. [Read the full story »](   Support our work We aim to explain what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters. Support our mission by making a gift today. [Give](   More good stuff to read today - [Sometimes kids need a push. Here’s how to do it kindly.]( - [What’s a Saturn return — and why are our favorite pop stars singing about it?]( - [No, the director of Zone of Interest did not disavow his Jewish identity at the Oscars]( - [7 winners and 0 losers from the surprisingly delightful 2024 Oscars]( - [How to talk to boys so they grow into better men]( - [Everything you need to know about filing taxes for the first time]( - [The real scandal in Formula 1 is its attitude toward women](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=culture). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.