Celebrities told off for mocking princess
Celebrities who ridiculed the Princess of Wales before her cancer revelation have come in for a harsh backlash.
American actress Blake Lively has deleted an intentionally edited picture she posted on Instagram as she launched a new drinks range.
Lively apologised for the “silly” joke, saying: “I’m sure no one cares today but I feel like I have to acknowledge this. I made a silly post around the ‘Photoshop fails’ frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today. I’m sorry. Sending love and well wishes to all, always.”
The social media furore around the princess’s whereabouts, wellbeing and domestic life had reached a fever pitch following her release of a Mothering Sunday picture of herself and her three children – and her subsequent apology for editing it.
Other US celebrities weighed in with jokes amid the surge in the online speculation around the princess’ whereabouts, including by the social media star Kim Kardashian, who published a series of photos to her 364 million followers on Instagram with the caption: “On my way to find Kate”.
The post attracted an immediate backlash after the princess announced in a personal video message that she has been undergoing preventative chemotherapy since late February.
“How do you feel now it’s been announced she has cancer?” one follower asked on Kardashian’s post, with another weighing in writing: “This didn’t age well. You never know what someone is battling.”
Meanwhile, the Wales family are to retreat for more than three weeks to spend time out of the public eye, as their three young children are given space to continue their childhood in privacy.
The welfare of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis has been at the heart of plans to disclose the Princess of Wales’ treatment for cancer, timed to fit in with their Easter holiday, when they could “circle the wagons”.
The couple took the decision for her to go public with the news after their children broke up from school, reducing the risk of them hearing other people talking about the princess’s condition even in the most well-meaning of ways.
Their father, Prince William, will be with them until the end of the holiday on April 17, with the family retreating to their home in Norfolk as usual at this time of year.
They will not be photographed walking to church on Easter Sunday, with the princess intending to make only the occasional public appearance – decided at the last minute based on her health – until advised by her medical team that she can return to work.