REBECCA ENGLISH: The social media cesspit of speculation on Kate's health is sickening. So what is the Palace to do?

One thing I’ve realised in covering our Royal Family for more than 20 years is that when stories break, they go big.

But what I’ve witnessed in recent weeks has shocked even the most world-weary courtiers. ‘Utter madness’ was the verdict of one well-placed royal insider.

It’s something we discuss at length on the latest edition of our royal talk show, Palace Confidential, with my colleagues Richard Eden and Jo Elvin.

An excited Prince Louis on the Buckingham Palace balcony with his mother Kate during last year's Trooping the Colour

There’s plenty going on. Princess Anne’s been flying the flag for Britain in Dubai, for example, while the King is battling on with state duties despite his cancer treatment.

But none of this competes with the only subject anyone wants to talk about, and that’s… Kate.

When it was announced in January that the Princess of Wales had unexpectedly undergone ‘planned abdominal surgery’, Kensington Palace made a personal plea that she be allowed to recuperate in peace.

They acknowledged how much interest there would be but released no further information about Kate’s condition and asked that, for her own sake and that of her children, the media and public alike should avoid speculating. The Princess and her family should be given space.

That’s exactly what happened…at first.

The King shakes hands with Alexander Williams, the High Commissioner of Jamaica, at Buckingham Palace on Thursday

The Prince and Princess of Wales with their children Charlotte, George (centre) and Louis at last year's Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham

Cue a growing avalanche of conjecture, speculation and innuendo on the internet, thanks mainly to the likes of X, Instagram and TikTok.

Some of it has been harmless enough, if foolish, including the suggestion that the princess might be recovering from a ‘Brazilian butt lift'.

That got a bit of traction as did a tongue-in-cheek claim that Kate was recovering from a ‘bad haircut’ (Since when did she ever have one of those?).

But much of the speculation comes straight from the cesspit. ‘Sick’ is not too strong a word.

A wild claim by a Spanish television journalist that the princess was in a coma is perhaps the only thing we can repeat - because it has been officially denied by the Palace.

It is hard to believe the depths to which some trolls will descend, including those who create fake images – disturbingly realistic in some cases – to support their vicious posts.

Much of it has clearly been stirred up by those with an axe to grind against the British monarchy, including some supposed Harry and Meghan ‘fans’.

What’s even more troubling, though, is that some of these claims are colouring the world of respectable commentary.

Take this week’s news that the Ministry of Defence had withdrawn a claim that the Princess would attend Trooping the Colour in June after a pointed intervention from Kensington Palace, (which made clear it was up to Kate to confirm when she was ready to return to work).

Even the BBC and ITV felt obliged  to report on growing speculation. 

‘A royal dilemma as public curiosity over Kate’s health grows’, said the BBC website. 

It's an onslaught that I know has left Kate and William both angered and deeply upset.

Their aides maintain a brave face and emphasise that their focus is on work and family, not gossipmongers.

But it is clear that this febrile situation is pushing their customary ‘never complain, never explain’ mantra to the limit.

Part of the difficulty is down to the marked difference in way the two royal households - Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace - have approached their respective royal health crises.

The public has been given as much information about His Majesty’s condition and ongoing treatment as possible.

There have been regular and reassuring visual updates with photographs and even video clips of the King going about his work.

From William and Kate’s team, however, there has been a deafening silence.

They have taken a principled stand, refusing to deviate from their original statement that the Princess is unlikely to be seen in public before Easter and that there would be no running commentary on her condition.

At the same time, however, this (understandable) attempt to protect Kate’s privacy has allowed the most sinister elements of social media to prosper.

And now their poisonous chatter has become a roar that it’s hard to ignore.

Prince William has always said he refuses to dance to the media’s tune - a stance many have sympathised with, including me.

The mainstream British media have, for the most part, refused to speculate about his wife’s health.

I’m not aware that any news organisation in this country has even considered touching recent paparazzi photographs showing princess being driven in her car – on a public road – out of respect for her privacy.

But the media landscape is very different to the one Prince William grew up with.

Today, the Wild West of the internet and social media remain entirely unregulated – while those in charge gorge on the profits.

The Daily Mail's Rebecca English, above, says that the deafening silence from William and Kate's team has opened the door to trolls

I felt obliged to refer one particularly hideous post sent to me this week to the regulators at ‘X’.

I cannot bring myself to describe them, but the contents were outrageous – and included a frighteningly sophisticated and cleverly doctored image of the princess with demands for ‘proof of life’.

In reply, I was informed that there were ‘no violations of the Twitter rules [sic]’.

I wasn’t surprised as I’d received the same response when I complained about a post describing me as a royal family-supporting ‘slut’.

This, in a nutshell, is what we – the Royal Family, journalists and even those who simply like to read about the British monarchy – are dealing with.

And it is problem that the palaces – understandably – simply don’t know how to handle other than to ignore.

One old royal hand said to me recently that they support the Kensington Palace approach – toughing it out – as long as the princess continues to recover well.

But the dilemma is clear.

‘There is a sense over the last few weeks that things could have been better communicated. It’s a salutary reminder that you shouldn’t let everyone [else] fill the silence,’ they said.

‘But neither should you be bounced into a particular course of action by a particularly vile group of internet trolls.

‘Perhaps the best way to look at it, though, is that people wouldn’t talk if they didn't care, one way or another.

‘And what we have witnessed recently is that the British Royal Family is still the biggest story in town.’