With their numerous health problems, bitter fallout, high-profile feuds and endless rumors that capture the public's imagination like no other, rarely has the scrutiny on the royal family been so high.
King Charles' cancer diagnosis after a routine prostate procedure was followed by the even more alarming news that Kate Middleton would remain in hospital for 14 days after surgery on her abdomen.
The Princess of Wales has not attended any public engagements since undergoing surgery in January, opening the floodgates to wild theories on social media about her whereabouts.
Social media sleuths were further concerned when Kensington Palace published a family photo on Mother's Day that was later found to have been doctored, triggering a further sense of distrust within the court of public opinion.
Meanwhile, Charles has stepped back from most of his public duties as he undergoes treatment for an unspecified form of cancer, and Prince William has stepped in to carry out his public-facing responsibilities while also stay close to Kate and their three children. .
Elsewhere, the separated Prince Harry lives in apparent Californian bliss with Meghan Markle, who recently returned to Instagram to launch her new lifestyle brand. Orchard of the American Riviera.
Prince Harry tells Diana Award winners: 'Mum would be incredibly proud
(Heaven News)
The young Prince has faced criticism for his quick 45-minute meeting with his father in the wake of his diagnosis and appeared virtually at the Diana Legacy Awards last week after Prince William's in-person speech, further fueling rumors of a rift between the once inseparable brothers.
Amid the chaos, Britain's appetite for information about its monarchs is at an all-time high, meaning experienced royal commentators are offering their verdicts on the latest sagas.
Here, The independent summarizes what writers around the world say about Kate, William, Charles, Meghan, Harry and the rest of the royals.
Sally Beddell Smith: Meghan as narcissistic as Wallis Simpson
Royal biographer Sally Beddell Smith attacks Meghan Markle, labeling her “narcissistic, controlling and domineering” like the Duchess of Windsor.
The “authoritative” royal biographer draws parallels between Meghan and Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who married King Edward VII, and discusses how King George VI “saved the monarchy” after the abdication.
(FILES) Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends keynote: Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off Screen
(AFP via Getty Images)
Comparing the Windsors in the 1930s to the Sussexes of today, she describes how Simpson was a divorcee and her decision to marry a monarch led to a constitutional crisis that triggered Edward's abdication.
Bedell Smith says Meghan is as strong as the Duchess of Windsor, while Harry is as “weak” as the duke. He also blames Meghan for playing a role in the growing rift between Harry and William.
Camilla Long: Our Kate fetish has gone too far
Camilla Long argues in it Times column that women in the royal family are subject to indefensible criticism after Kate's viral photoshop faux pas made the princess the target of obsessive social media investigation.
Long defends Kate and her amateur Adobe skills, saying the press outrage is somewhat hypocritical given that family members have filled newspapers and magazines over the years.
She explains that the media's problem with Kate-gate is its declining profits in the digital age, where royals now post and edit their own content on social media.
The columnist links the growing visual culture of “seeing is believing” to the late Queen and laments that the public has turned the royal family into mines of content “for our superficial entertainment.”
The manipulated photo that the Palace shared on Mother's Day sparked massive outrage
(Reuters)
Rob Jobson: Kate has been let down by the royal family in a 'photoflop'
On the other hand, commentator Rob Jobson criticizes Kate Middleton's 'photo flop', calling it a great embarrassment for Kensington Palace.
However, rather than condemning the princess individually, he blames the institution for allowing Kate to take the blame for its mistake and argues that the palace needs to bring in better communications advisors.
He says Sun: “Now it has not passed that test, so to speak, and that is because it was practically an amateur job to do it.
“So there really needed to be some advisors doing that work, making sure that in this modern world of modern communications you can't alter the photographs that are published as official photographs.
“It damages the integrity of the organization that issues a photograph.”
Sympathetically, Jobson says Kate “went out of her way” to post a photo of her and her children while recovering from surgery.
An image shows articles in British national newspapers about the doctored Mother's Day photo released by Kensington Palace on March 10.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Richard Kay 'The royal family is dangerously close to the 11th hour'
Writer Kay, a close friend of Princess Diana of Wales, says media criticism of the royal in recent weeks is justified and the series of scandals has caused devastating damage to her reputation.
He claims that the royal reputation is at its lowest point and writes in Mail Plus: “If we don't reach the 11th hour, we are dangerously close.
“There may still be time for the tide of public disapproval to subside, but the cost to royal image and individual reputation has been high.”
He says crises are more common than non-crises and points to the presence of the disgraced Prince Andrew with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, at a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece at Windsor Castle.
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 27: Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of Yor
(Getty Images)
The transition from the late Queen's reign to King Charles was easy, but her current absence from the public eye is disturbing to the public, he adds.
William has made a series of mistakes, claims the royal commentator, including not attending the monumental Women's World Cup final in Sydney to cheer on the Lionesses last summer.
Like Jobson, he criticizes the palace's decision to let Kate face the wrath for her photoshop work, but says the biggest threat to the royal family is the growing rift between Prince William and Harry.
Tessa Dunlop: The uncomfortable truth about Kate and William that no one wants to admit
Royal expert Tessa Dunlop, author of Elizabeth and Phillip: a story of young love highlights a growing public resentment towards royalty with anti-monarchism on the rise.
In The independentDunlop blames Prince William for appearing “apathetic” in the wake of his new responsibilities and notes his mysterious absence from the memorial service for Constantine of Greece II.
Kate Middleton's public persona has always been polished and glamorous, the reality behind the scenes is that Kate is probably an uptight middle-aged mother trying to avoid the spotlight, adds Dunlop.
FILE – Britain's Prince William, left, and Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales, attend a welcoming ceremony for the President and First Lady of the Republic of Korea at Horse Guards Parade in London.
(AP)
She attributes the newfound fascination with the Cambridges, made evident by Kate's editing error, to the absence of the King and Harry.
She concludes: “Republican zeal tends to fade with age; but Generation Z is likely to simply mature into royal agnostics, a potentially fatal pairing for the future British royal family under William, with piles of money and a take-me-or-leave-me approach.
“A civil handshake and it could all be over. “Apathy on both sides of the palace wall, not revolution, is the true scourge of modern monarchy.”
