The announcements about the health of King Charles and Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton were made only a few hours apart. However, in the case of Charles there was full transparency about his health just days before he underwent prostate surgery unlike Kate who was content to announce that he underwent a “scheduled abdominal procedure”.

According to a palace source, “it made sense for them to be more open on the subject of Charles, as otherwise, people could think the worst.” In addition, Charles, as a monarch who wants to lead by example, chose to give a message about the regular and comprehensive examinations that every man of this age should undergo. In fact, because of his position, the announcement had an immediate impact on public opinion: since the day of the announcement, there has been a 1,000% increase in prostate-related searches on the UK NHS website.

In contrast, for Kate Middleton, discretion was chosen for her health, as she had expressed a “desire to maintain as much normality as possible” in her daily life and for the sake of her young children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, according to her office.

“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. “She hopes the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normalcy as possible for her children – and her desire to keep her personal medical information private,” the palace statement said.

“Those close to the Welsh princely couple say family life is the couple’s priority. Public duties and travel are planned around their three children and their school holidays. The current situation is not going to reverse any of the above, adds the same source.