LEAVE the Princess of Wales alone.
I was shocked to see a clearly frail Kate, sitting alone on a bench, tell the world she had cancer.
The public announcement was in part to quell weeks of frenzy on social media, used in many cases by those who are just plain cruel, nasty and stupid.
What right has anyone to drag our next Queen into making such a confession?
Her silence up to that point was no doubt over concern for her three young children, to allay their fears and reassure them that all will be well.
When she did speak out, her grace and courage had an electrifying effect.
Cancer charities reported huge spikes in visits to their websites, goodwill messages flooded in from across the world, and those who whipped up conspiracy theories were forced to issue grovelling apologies.
Then there was all the confected nonsense over a few, miniscule changes to a Mother’s Day photograph, sent out thoughtfully to wish all mothers a happy day.
Yes, ‘fake news’ or images must be challenged, but this was without doubt innocent, and most of the press behaved disgracefully.
The shock announcement by the Princess, after weeks of mounting and increasingly unpleasant speculation, has given us all pause.
The last Princess of Wales was also much loved and she’s still missed today and we do not need to lose another.
Let no one be in any doubt, Kate is the future of the Royal Family, the glue that binds us all together and which should be supported and nurtured.
I, and I know millions of others, wish our Princess of Wales a speedy recovery; her family needs her and we do, too.
For this, she requires peace and privacy in which to heal.