Kate Middleton has spent almost two weeks at the London Clinic after undergoing a planned abdominal surgery. The Palace released a statement just an hour before news came out that King Charles was set to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate. According to the Telegraph, Kate wasn’t rushed to the hospital, but aides were still planning for her future trips and engagements as recently as the end of last week.
The news of Kate Middleton’s hospitalization was a complete surprise for those working closely with the royals. Within their broader circle of friends, when they were at Anmer Hall, no indication showed that anything was wrong with Kate. Prince William is said to have visited his beloved wife every morning at the hospital, which has been heavily guarded by police.
The London Clinic is a private hospital in central London, just one hour’s car ride from Windsor, that has had many famous guests. John F. Kennedy, then a US Congressman, was diagnosed with Addison’s disease at the clinic in 1947. Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor underwent a knee operation at The London Clinic after falling while filming a movie. In 1998, the former dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet, was arrested for crimes against humanity while at the clinic.
The royal family has been in contact with The London Clinic in several ways. Starting in the 1980s, royal family members have been officially launching several of the hospital’s facilities. In 1989, then-Prince Charles opened its physiotherapy department, and two years later Princess Margret opened the MRI unit. In 2010, Queen Elizabeth II visited The London Clinic to open its new cancer unit.
Kate Middleton isn’t the only royal family member who has been a patient at The London Clinic. In 1980, Princess Margaret was treated at the London Clinic to have a benign skin lesion removed, and in 2013, Prince Philip underwent what was described as an “abdominal investigation.”
The private hospital has a leading cancer center where patients undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As a patient at The London Clinic, you can expect to have quite the stay.
A private hospital in London called The London Clinic Rooms offers large, private rooms with various amenities including an electronic patient-controlled bed, a private bathroom, a large TV, and a deposit box. The hospital’s head chef, Paul O’Brien, prepares a variety of dishes for patients, including fish from Cornish boats and meat from Smithfields Market. Patients also have access to a concierge service that can help with travel arrangements, bookings for tours, theatre shows, and restaurants.
A former patient of The London Clinic Rooms praised the hospital’s excellent service, stating that they have three or four different menus to cater to different dietary preferences and requirements. The patient also mentioned that while they were on a strict diet initially, visitors could order from the regular menu easily.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, recently underwent abdominal surgery at The London Clinic. According to Dr Max Pemberton, a full-time psychiatrist with the NHS, it is crucial for Kate to rest and recover fully before resuming her official duties. He warned that returning to work too soon can be devastating, especially after a major surgery. Pemberton praised Kate’s decision to take time off until Easter and advised that everyone should convalesce properly after surgery.
The details of Kate’s abdominal surgery have been kept private, and a royal expert is concerned about the public’s need for more information. Richard Eden defended Kate’s right to privacy and stated that the public’s demand for more information could be considered bullying.
He even said that pressuring Kate into giving updates could come across as “bullying.”
“I think that there’s no reason why she should she feel bullied into giving more details,” Eden said. “If she wants to, at a later point, fine, that’s up to her. But, she shouldn’t feel that she has to.”
Eden continued speaking about the comments from the public, saying, “It’s been ‘She should give more details,’ and ‘Why doesn’t she?’”
“And there’s been more pressure, there’s even been letters written to The Times newspaper, saying it would be a great example to other women if she was to be more open about her medical problems and this sort of thing.”
Kate Middleton was bullied in school
While Kate most likely hasn’t gotten information that the public wants answers to, the principle of being bullied isn’t something new for her. In fact, during many of the Princess of Wales’ school years, she was indeed bullied.
Kate Middleton first enrolled at the all-girls boarding school Downe House, which was meant to be a significant step towards learning everything she needed for adult life. However, it turned out that the school – which Carole and Michael reportedly paid around £28,000 in tuition – became a nightmare for Kate.
The young girl studied at the school during the day but didn’t stay there full-time, meaning she never had the chance to lodge with other students. Bonding with them was made more complex, and Kate was even bullied.
A friend at a later school, Gemma Williamson, previously told the Daily Mail: “Apparently, she had been bullied very badly, and she certainly looked thin and pale. She had very little confidence.”
Kate was only 13 when she began her tenure at Downe House in Berkshire. Every girl was a high achiever, and according to Kate’s former classmate Emma Sayle, the princess hated that her school was “cliquey.”
The fact that Kate started at the school two years after her peers – added to the fact that she didn’t ‘live’ there – was a significant factor in why Kate was poorly treated, according to former Downe House student Georgina Rylance.
“It does make a difference going from eleven,” another former Downe House student, Georgina Rylance, told the Sunday Times, as per royal expert Katie Nicholl. “You have two years of bonding, your first time away all together. Even some of the most popular girls in my school had a hard time when they came in at thirteen.”
Headmistress at her school claimed Kate was “too sensitive”
In her book Kate: The Future Queen, Nicholl gives another insight into Kate’s tough time at Downe House and the toxic environment that was her everyday life.
Eventually, Kate decided to tell her parents about everything she had endured, as well as the bullying that took place.
Even then, some claimed that Kate was simply “too sensitive.” Susan Cameron, then headmistress at the school, said she may well have felt like a fish out of water, or “unhappily not in the right place.”
“Certainly, I have no knowledge of any serious bullying at all. But there’s what everyone calls bullying, and there’s actual, real, miserable bullying where someone had a dreadful time, “Cameron told the Mirror.
“That certainly didn’t happen. Yes, there would be teasing. It’s all a part of the normal competition of growing up, of establishing a pecking order,” she continued.
“Girls are cliquey by nature, and they can be rather cruel. If you’re attractive, too, that can be seen as rather a threat. They can sense those who are slightly weaker or who haven’t shown their strengths yet, and it’s those girls who are likely to end up being picked on or teased.
“I think it’s fair to say she was unsettled and not particularly happy. Maybe in Catherine’s case, she just kind of went quiet and didn’t say anything,” the former headmistress continued, later saying that if Kate had been badly bullied, she wouldn’t be the woman she is today.
If you enjoyed this article, perhaps you’d be interested in reading about Kate’s “rotten” condition which once put her in the hospital.
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