'Is Liz Jones ok?': British journalist mocked for op-ed likening Kate Middleton to 'young' family member after her hospitalization

On Friday, January 19, 2024, Liz Jones, an author and Daily Mail columnist, published an op-ed about Kate Middleton’s hospitalization, which led to her mockery on social media. The headline of Jones’ op-ed claimed how the news of Kate’s hospitalization felt personal to her, as if it were “a young member” of her own family that had been struck down.

The columnist likening the Princess of Wales, who is currently 42, to a “young family member” has become the center of ridicule on social media. Several netizens have taken to X to ridicule Jones for penning an allegedly overtly emotional portrayal of Middleton despite not knowing her personally.

Liz Jones’ op-ed was published as a reaction to the recently disclosed news of an abdominal surgery that the Princess of Wales had undergone in the first week of January at the London Clinic. After sharing the news with the public and media houses, Kensington Palace didn’t disclose the details of the procedure but confirmed it was non-cancerous.

According to the Daily Mail, the announcement also disclosed that Kate Middleton would stay at the hospital for another 10–14 days to recover from the surgery, following which she would rest at home until her complete recovery, staying away from her public duties until Easter.

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Netizens mock Liz Jones for likening Kate Middleton to a “young family member"

While Liz Jones and the Princess of Wales have reportedly had no real interaction with each other, Kate’s portrayal in Jones’ op-ed appears as if the two are close friends. Jones praised the princess for her appearance, saying:

“Just the sight of her, anywhere – reed slim and elegant, conker hair shining, always, always smiling – makes the world nicer, better, easier, navigable.”

In the later part of her op-ed, Jones also compared the Princess of Wales to her own niece – Sophie – who, according to Jones, was serene and “had children when she was young”, just like Kate Middleton.

Towards the end, Jones stated how she, alongside everyone else in the UK, was "glued to the news, searching for clues" about Kate's recovery. She ended her piece by mentioning how the Princess would be "so cross with herself that she is making us all so worried."

Many of the Daily Mail UK readers found Liz Jones’ op-ed absurd. Some of them took to X to mock the columnist for writing "one of the most deluded pieces of journalism ever," while others called her desperate and delusional.

Here are some of the Twitter reactions to Liz Jones' op-ed:

According to the Daily Mail, Prince William has stepped back from his official duties for the upcoming weeks to look after his children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, and care for his wife as she recovers.