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The British public has backed the royal family's secrecy around the Princess of Wales' health despite criticism from social media users and commentators.
Half of respondents in a recent survey said that the royals had released the "right" amount of details about Kate as she has spent over two months out of the public eye recovering from abdominal surgery she underwent in January.
When the surgery was announced, a provisional date for her return to duties was given as "after Easter," and Kensington Palace stated that they would not provide any updates on the princess unless there were significant new information to share.
After a month with no update following Kate's discharge from the hospital, conspiracy theories and speculation about her health and whereabouts reached a new height in February when Prince William canceled a high-profile appearance, citing a personal reason.
At the time, the palace said that Kate continued to be doing "well" but reiterated that there would be no "running commentary" on her health, which prompted criticism amidst claims they were withholding public interest information.
A new poll by YouGov, conducted as a fresh scandal over an edited photo of Kate raged, has revealed that the majority of the public believe the royals have provided enough information about the princess' condition.
The statistics organization asked 3,491 British adults on March 11: "It was announced in [January] that Catherine, Princess of Wales, is recovering at home after abdominal surgery and is expected to return to duties after Easter. Thinking about the information that has been released to the public about the Princess's health, do you think the Royal Family have announced too much detail, too little, or have got the balance about right?"
Of the respondents, 49 percent said that the royals had given the "right" amount of information, as opposed to just 20 percent who said they had provided "too little."
Six percent said that the royals had given "too much" information, and 24 percent responded that they "don't know."
Newsweek reached out to Kensington Palace via email for comment.
The poll results come as Kate was photographed traveling by car to London with Prince William on Monday for a private appointment just hours after issuing a personal apology for editing a family photo.
Kensington Palace released a portrait on Sunday to mark Mother's Day in the United Kingdom, showing Kate and her three children. The photo was the first official image of the princess since her surgery, and fans and critics quickly said that it had been edited.
After these image alterations were highlighted on social media, some of the world's largest photo agencies pulled the portrait from their libraries. This was shortly followed by a statement from Kate posted to the Wales family's social media channels.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she said. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."
The photograph has done little to reduce the speculation and spread of conspiracy theories online as users continue to question the royals' public relations strategy regarding Kate and her health.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more