Conspiracy theorists who took to social media in Princess Kate's absence have been told to "get a grip", after the BBC revealed a number of complaints of their coverage of the royal's cancer announcement.
Taking to social media, the Princess of Wales released a video statement, revealing that following her planned abdominal procedure in January, doctors found cancer "had been present".
The Princess thanked royal fans for their support in her absence and said she is now undergoing "preventative chemotherapy" to treat the cancer.
Following the announcement, the BBC has confirmed they've received complaints from viewers who believed its coverage of the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis was "excessive and insensitive".
Alex Cairns has hit out at social media conspiracy theories surrounding Kate's absence
PA / GB News
In a statement, the corporation said: "We broadcast in full the highly personal video message from the Princess of Wales, in which she spoke directly to the public about her cancer diagnosis.
"Our coverage reflected the significance of this story and the outpouring of support for the princess from around the globe."
Reacting to the complaints, CEO and Founder of The Youth Vote UK Alex Cairns said a lot of people felt they "went too far" with their coverage, but defended the broadcaster and said mainstream media "can't win" in how they cover such significant stories.
Cairns explained: "Everyone's saying 'why don't we know anything', and then the moment they find out, they're saying 'actually they went too far'."
Princess Kate is undergoing 'preventative chemotherapy' following her cancer announcement
PA
Commentator Nichi Hodgson agreed and said in the coverage of events such as a royal cancer diagnosis, it "can be difficult to get the balance right" and due to the social media conspiracies circulating about the Princess's health, she said "everybody was gunning for knowledge".
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Hodgson fumed: "There were so many conspiracy theories on the internet. Social media was rife with theories, and people were desperate to find out what had happened. And then basically the BBC delivered, and they were in trouble for it.
"This really is a problem with the viewers, it's not the problem of the station."
Cairns agreed with Hodgson, adding: "A lot of people feel like she [Princess Kate] was pushed into that announcement early. Maybe she wasn't ready, and actually I think the public need to appreciate that because everyone was saying, where is she? Where is she? They cannot then moan when there's a video.
"And then people still to this day are saying, is it her in the video? Get a grip! It's definitely her in the video. Who do you think it is?"
Nichi Hodgson said the Royal Family 'lost the narrative' with Kate's health
GB News
Hodgson then suggested that the Royal Family "lost the narrative" with Kate's health, and argued that their PR strategy could do with a "republican" approach as well as a "monarchist" one.
Hodgson told GB News: "The PR department does not understand social media. A big part of your strategy, when you don't want to disclose something, is to get on top of rumours. You have to get on Reddit, you have to get on social, you have to get on TikTok. You need people posting. You need people to direct the conversation with facts. And they just don't have it.
"I think the biggest problem for the Royals is that traditionally the PR department has always been people that are very pro-monarchy, people that have been quite closely connected to the royals.
"But actually what they need is some people that are just at the top of their game that are actually Republicans, people that can think about the worst possible comments that are going to come and work from that side forward."