Kate Middleton’s health shock finally exposes nightmare royal scenario

Two unexpected announcements from the palace, just 90 minutes apart, have finally detonated a ticking time bomb for the royal family.

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There’s no doubt Queen Camilla has experienced something of a popularity boost since her grim days as the world’s most infamous mistress.

Less than a year after her coronation alongside King Charles, that’s about to be put to the test.

As of right now, she is the only remaining member of the four most senior royals on duty.

Let that sink in: the only one.

It’s been the hypothetical nightmare looming in the background of the new “slimmed-down” monarchy for some time, but the moment the King has surely been dreading has finally arrived.

Back-to-back health announcements have now fully exposed the big issue at the heart of all the royal dramas plaguing the family in recent years.

No Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. No Prince Andrew (although I haven’t heard many complaints on that front).

Which leaves the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh as the entire cast of full-time senior royals.

Seven people, total. Three of whom are now Out Of Office.

Kate, last spotted with her family on Christmas Day, is now in hospital.

Overnight, news broke that Kate has undergone abdominal surgery, which will require her to be hospitalised for up to two weeks followed by months of recuperation back home.

“Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter (on March 31),” the statement from Kensington Palace read.

William, of course, is also taking time off to care for his wife and cover parenting responsibilities.

He is “committed to staying by her side as much as possible and has also cleared many of his forthcoming duties,” per the UK’s Times.

The triple whammy came just 90 minutes later when Buckingham Palace unexpectedly announced the King would also be heading to hospital, where he is having treatment for an enlarged prostate. It was estimated he’d be out of action for a “short period”, and he has already cancelled a number of events scheduled in Scotland this week.

For comparison, flick your mind back to 2019: the very popular late Queen, still on the royal beat, was heading up a team of 10 other senior staffers.

Taking a few out of action was never going to be that big of a deal.

But now? Well, we are officially on skeleton staff.

There were a few more royals on the team back in 2019. Picture: Xinhua/Ray Tang via Getty Images

We always knew the no-nonsense Anne was an astute woman – but never has she been more on the money than with her blunt response to the “slimmed-down” monarchy plan last year.

“Well, I think the ‘slimmed down’ was said in a day when there were a few more people around,” she told a Canadian journalist when grilled on the topic.

“It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing … I’m not quite sure what else we can do.”

Given today’s news, no – perhaps not a “good idea”, after all.

Of course, there is a contingency plan in place for if things get really dire. Seven counsellors of state have been appointed who can act for the King when needed: Camilla, William, Harry, Anne, Edward, Andrew, and Princess Beatrice.

But in the current situation, of those seven, only three are realistic options.

In fact, it’s only those three available members of the group – Camilla, Anne and Edward – who are actually even working royals.

A stint with a dramatically reduced team of royals making the rounds might not seem like the end of the world – but the timing couldn’t be worse.

King Charles & co are currently battling to validate their very existence within a modern society which is grappling with a cost-of-living crisis, and carefully scrutinising its taxpayer bills, looking for places to make cuts.

A survey taken last year showed that only three in 10 Britons think the monarchy is “very important” - the lowest number on record.

Besides the obvious tourism aspect, the best tool the royal family has is its long-held reputation as an institution of hard workers (and I reckon they should shout Anne, who clocked up a whopping 457 engagements in 2023, an annual bottle of Bollinger for that).

Any erosion of that perception may ignite questions about just how much value for money the British public are getting – and that’s very dangerous territory for The Firm.

Obviously, this is the benefit in having a team large enough to cover absences.

The “slimmed down” monarchy. Picture: Chris Jackson/Pool/AFP

If we’re being really honest, it’s Kate’s lengthy disappearance from the public eye that’s the biggest issue for the royals.

She’s now regularly out-polling the rest of the family, and easily provides the glamour and charm that keeps all of their activities splashed across the front pages.

Concerns had already been raised in recent months about the work – or perceived lack thereof – that William and Kate are undertaking, as they make it clear that raising their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, was their priority.

“There’s a growing feeling that William and Kate aren’t pulling their weight. They are the future of the monarchy and are themselves senior members of the Royal Family,” a royal source told OK! magazine last year.

Another noted the “difficult position” the couple is in as they juggle royal duties with parenting.

“William and Kate have been put in a very difficult position of choosing between the right path for their family or the future of the monarchy. Both are very important to them, but they have decided to put their children first while they are so young.”

William and Kate’s decision to take two full months off work to be with their family last summer reportedly sparked added tension within the institution.

“They’re [William and Kate] very popular, they’re a huge asset to the UK, but there have been eyebrows raised in other parts of the royal household about the amount of time they’re not doing official engagements,” royal correspondent Richard Palmer told the Daily Express at the time.

All this to say: beyond the glossy sheen, the royals are human beings.

Humans need sick days. They need the option of rostering off to prioritise parenting and take breaks.

But these days, management may have some issues finding staff to cover their shifts.

“I have to be seen to be believed,” the late Queen was once famously quoted.

If that really is the truth for royals – then Camilla, Edward, Sophie, and Anne better get set to rack up some serious overtime.

Originally published as Kate Middleton’s health shock finally exposes nightmare royal scenario