“The View” hosts expressed remorse for fueling the conspiracy theories surrounding Kate Middleton’s whereabouts following the royal’s recent cancer announcement.
On Monday’s episode of the daytime talk show, the women addressed Middleton’s diagnosis with Whoopi Goldberg asking the table what their thoughts were.
“I feel awful, Whoopi was right and I’m guilty of getting into the fun of ‘Where’s Kate?’ and thinking it’s funny and sharing the memes and playing into that,” Alyssa Farrah Griffin, 34, started.
The women of “The View” expressed their remorse for fueling the conspiracy theories surrounding Kate Middleton’s whereabouts. The View/ABC Alyssa Farrah Griffin said she felt “awful.” The View/ABCExplore More
“And I forgot something fundamental that we all know and that is every person — whether it’s a princess, somebody in high privilege or somebody next to you — is dealing with personal struggles that we have no idea about.
“I send my love and strength to her because sure, the palace totally mishandled the PR of this but the public mishandled it.”
Griffin also admitted that she didn’t think there was “something more serious” Middleton, 42, could have been dealing with because people tend to forget that even the royal family are “actual human beings.”
Haines added that Middleton’s diagnosis was a “heart-wrenching” update. The View/ABC “You just never know what someone is going through,” Haines pointed out. The View/ABCSara Haines, 46, jumped in and called Middleton’s diagnosis “heart-wrenching.” However, she admitted that she was also skeptical about the palace’s handling of the news.
“You just never know what someone is going through. I’ve always questioned the way the royal family handles women, whether it was Princess Diana or Fergie (Sarah Ferguson) or Meghan Markle,” she said.
“I was not blaming Kate for what was going on, it really bothered me the way it was handled — whether it was my business or not could be debated. But I do hope now for a speedy recovery.”
Ana Navarro said she was going to give the Princess of Wales the privacy she requested. The View/ABC Sunny Hostin blamed Haines and Griffin for kicking off the speculations. The View/ABCAna Navarro called the experience a “learning moment.”
“The lesson I learned was when Whoopi Goldberg tells me to mind my own damn business, I’ll mind my own damn business from now on,” she said, referring to Goldberg previously asking her co-hosts for compassion for Middleton.
“I barely ever know what’s going on in pop culture, so it was very strange for me to fall down this rabbit hole but it was everywhere,” she added, noting that it was “an international frenzy” that started after the discovery of the altered Mother’s Day photo that kicked off the speculations.
“I think to myself that the reason it happened, as well, is because she’s well loved, well respected and valued and treasured in England. But I think we all like her because she has been like a bright spot in what has been a very dysfunctional royal family for decades and decades and she just looks like such a great wife and a great mom. And I feel like we all know her.”
The 52-year-old then called out Middleton’s request for privacy and said she would now “shut my mouth and wish her well and pray for her.”
Goldberg had previously asked her co-hosts for grace in the conspiracies surrounding Middleton. The View/ABC Goldberg said she warned them because “I don’t want them thinking you’re making fun of somebody because they’re ill.” The View/ABCSunny Hostin, 55, playfully expressed that she’s “deeply remorseful” for allowing Haines and Griffin “to drag me down the rabbit hole.”
As for Goldberg, the 68-year-old told them, “Once you’ve had this experience, it can scar you, because once those things begin to happen, everyone jumps on board and there’s no way to stop it.”
“I always think about the kids because the kids are hearing it outside, at school. Yes, even their kids,” the “Sister Act” added, explaining that she tried to put a stop to the speculation on the show “because I don’t want people to misunderstand you all.”
She clarified, “I don’t want them thinking you’re making fun of somebody because they’re ill.”
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Middleton announced on Friday that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventive chemotherapy. BBC Studios She thanked her husband, Prince William, for his support. WireImage
After months of speculation, Middleton revealed on Friday that she had been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January and thanked her husband, Prince William, for his support.
Despite the grim news, she explained that she was in the early stages of chemotherapy treatment.
Page Six then learned that, amid her treatment, she will not be back to work until after Easter.
Since news of her diagnosis, the Princess of Wales has been showered with support from fans, friends and family, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, King Charles and Sarah Ferguson, who are also battling cancer, and her brother, James Middleton.
