Kate’s cancer diagnosis: From conspiracies to compassion – how the tone in the US has changed
Following weeks of intense speculation, not just on social media but by some news outlets, too, there has been a change in tone from the US in its coverage of the Princess of Wales’s health.
As in the UK, Kate’s cancer diagnosis dominated the major broadcasters and newspapers on Friday.
It is a definite shift from the coverage that has played out in recent weeks, as jokes were made and conspiracy theories spread following the release of the now infamous doctored Mother’s Day photo from Kensington Palace.
The aim of the picture was to quell speculation about the princess’s abdominal surgery – but it fanned the flames when news agencies pulled it over the editing.
While rumours about Kate‘s health and personal life played out on social media here, in the US there were major celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Blake Lively sharing comments, and the rumours even made it to the mainstream.
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World leaders send messages of support
Blake Lively posted this apology via an Instagram story. Pic: Blake Lively / Instagram
Blake Lively pictured in February. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the host made jokes about the royals, while the satirical news programme The Daily Show also aired a six-minute segment on the situation.
Andy Cohen, host of US talk show Watch What Happens Live!, also tweeted “That ain’t Kate…” after pictures emerged of the Princess of Wales shopping with Prince William at a farm shop in Windsor.
The View host Whoopi Goldberg, however, took a more serious approach, suggesting conspiracy theories in the aftermath of the photo were not kind.
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Prince William and Kate at a farm shop in Windsor
Entertainment site TMZ aired a documentary, TMZ Investigates: Where Is Kate Middleton? on Fox on Thursday night, featuring comments from broadcaster Piers Morgan and Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell, as well as a US surgeon.
Some details of the show now appear to have been taken down from the TMZ website.
And two podcasters who were sharing regular commentary and conspiracy theories have taken down their content from social media.
Sky News analysis found the number of mentions in the US of “Kate Middleton” on Facebook and Instagram on the day before the photo was released (9 March) was about 2,600 – the day after (11 March), there were more than 128,000 mentions.
Now, the tone in America has changed, with an outpouring of support and well-wishes being shared from around the world.
On Friday evening, hashtags including “WeLoveYouCatherine” and “GetWellSoonCatherine” were trending on X, formerly Twitter – the same website which played host to much of the fevered speculation earlier in the month.
Kate’s diagnosis was among the top stories run by the major broadcasters including CNN, CBS and Fox News on Saturday morning, and the headlines will no doubt continue throughout the weekend.
On CNN’s website, a segment is dedicated to Kate’s diagnosis and “what we know”, including commentary from royal and medical experts. CBS is running the story, as well as an article on doctors’ “insights”.
CNN is running an article titled The Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis: What we know. Pic: CNN
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Harry and Meghan, who now live in the US, were among the thousands of well-wishers sharing messages of support following the princess’s announcement, releasing a simple statement that referenced the noise that has surrounded her in recent weeks – a situation they know all too well themselves.
“We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace,” they said.
The US headlines – and the internet – are now looking to “be kind”.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
As the future queen, Kate will never have a typical private life – but hopefully now she can continue her treatment away from the chaos of conspiracy.
It’s 5.30am, but the car park outside a laundrette in south central Los Angeles is already bustling.
A woman is setting up a stand selling tacos on the pavement and the sun is beginning to rise behind the palm trees.
A group of seven women and two men are gathered in a circle, most wearing khaki green t-shirts.
The leader, a man named Francisco “Chavo” Romero, begins by asking how everyone is feeling. “Angry,” a few of them respond. “Proud of the community for pushing back,” says another.
Ron, a high school history teacher, issues a rallying cry. “This is like Vietnam,” he says. “We’re taking losses, but in the end we’re going to win. It’s a war.”
Francisco ‘Chavo’ Romero leads a volunteer group, attempting to warn people ahead of ICE raids
This is what the resistance against Donald Trump’s immigration policy looks like here. In the past month, immigration and customs enforcement agents – known as ICE – have intensified their raids on homes and workplaces across Los Angeles.
Since the beginning of June, nearly 2,800 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in the city, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The previous monthly high was just over 850 arrests in May this year.
Police use tear gas against protesters, angry at a recent immigration raid at a farm in Camarillo, California. Pic: AP
Videos have circulated online of people being tackled to the ground in the car park of DIY shops, in car washes and outside homes. The videos have prompted outrage, protests and a fightback.
“Chavo” and Ron belong to a group of organised volunteers called Union del Barrio. Every morning, a group of them meet, mostly in areas which have high immigrant populations.
The day I meet them, they’re in an area of LA which is heavily Latino. Armed with walkie talkies to communicate with each other, megaphones to warn the community and leaflets to raise awareness they set out in cars in different directions.
A volunteer from Union del Barrio shows Sky’s Martha Kelner how they try to stay one step ahead of ICE agents
They’re looking for cars used by ICE agents to monitor “targets”.
“That vehicle looks a little suspicious,” says Ron, pointing out a white SUV with blacked-out windows, “but there’s nobody in it”.
An elderly Latino man is standing on a street corner, cutting fruit to sell at his stall. “He’s the exact target that they’re looking for,” Ron says. “That’s what they’re doing now. The low-hanging fruit, the easy victim. And so that is proving to be more successful for their quotas.”
This man, selling fruit on a street corner in LA, is a potential target of immigration agents
In the end, it turns out to be a quiet morning in this part of LA, no brewing immigration operations. But elsewhere in the city, dawn raids are happening.
ICE agents are under pressure from the White House to boost their deportation numbers in line with Donald Trump’s campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
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In June, tear gas and rubber bullets were fired at protestors demonstrating against immigration raids
Maria’s husband Javier was one of those arrested in LA. He came to the United States from Mexico when he was 19 and is now 58.
The couple have three grown-up children and two grandchildren. But Javier’s work permit expired two years ago, according to Maria and so he was living here illegally.
Maria’s husband Javier was arrested after his work permit expired
She shows me a video taken last month when Javier was at work at a car wash in Pomona, an area of LA. He is being handcuffed and arrested by armed and masked ICE agents, forced into a car. He is now being held at a detention centre two hours away.
“I know they’re doing their job,” she says, “but it’s like, ‘you don’t have to do it like that.’ Getting them and, you know, forcing people and pushing them down on the ground. They’re not animals.”
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US troops accused of ‘political stunt’ after park raid
Maria wipes away tears as she explains the impact of his absence for the past four weeks. “It’s been so hard without him,” she says. “You feel alone when you get used to somebody and he’s not there any more. We’ve never been apart for as long as this.”
The family have a lawyer and is appealing for him to remain in the US, but Maria fears he will be sent back to Mexico or even a third country.
Maria fears her husband, who has lived in the US for nearly 40 years, will be sent back to Mexico
“I don’t know what to say to my grandkids because the oldest one, who is five was very attached to his papas, as he calls him. And he’s asking me, ‘When is papa coming home?’ and I don’t know what to say. He’s not a criminal.”
The fear in immigrant communities can be measured by the empty restaurant booths and streets that are far quieter than usual.
People in LA are being asked to report sightings of ICE officials so others can be warned
I meet Soledad at the Mexican restaurant she owns in Hollywood. When I arrive, she’s watching the local news on the TV as yet another raid unfolds at a nearby farm.
She’s shaking her head as ICE agents face off with protesters and military helicopters hover overhead. “I am scared. I am very scared,” she says.
All of her eight employees are undocumented, and four of them are too scared to come into work, she says, in case they get arrested. The process to get papers, she says, is too long and too expensive.
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Soledad, who owns a Mexican restaurant, plans to hide her illegal workers if immigration officials arrive
“They call me and tell me they are too afraid to come in because immigration is around,” she says.
“I have to work double shifts to be able to make up for their hours, and yes, I am very desperate, and sometimes I cry… We have no sales, and no money to pay their wages.”
There is just one woman eating fajitas at a booth, where there would usually be a lunchtime rush. People are chilled by the raids.
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Soledad says she plans to hide her illegal workers if immigration officials arrive.
“I’ve told them, get inside the fridge, hide behind the stove, climb up where we have a space to store boxes, do not run because they will hunt you down.”
The White House says they’re protecting the country from criminals. ICE agents have been shot at while carrying out operations, their work becoming more dangerous by the day.
The tension here is ratcheting up. Deportation numbers are rising too. But the order from Donald Trump is to arrest even more people living here illegally.
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