In early March, Catherine, aka Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, released a video informing the public of her cancer diagnosis. The internet went silent. In a minute-long clip, Kate Middleton shared updates about the major abdominal surgery she underwent in January, with postoperative tests indicating cancerous cells were found in her body.

The video released by the Palace was saddening and difficult to watch. Middleton – a mother and wife, but also a philanthropist dedicated to her work – divulged her health and asked the public for privacy needed for her and her family to fight the illness. More than a royal public statement, this video was a cold reminder of the ethics of internet usage.

Recent conspiracy theories about Middleton have taken the internet by storm. Middleton and her husband, Prince William, have always been popular with the general populace, not only for their royal status but also for their philanthropic work. It had caused first local and consequently global suspicion that Middleton had fully been out of the public eye since Christmas, with messy and patchy communication from the Palace about her wellbeing.

Conspiracy theories about Kate’s whereabouts flooded the internet. A creator on Tiktok neatly summarized eight running theories, including that Middleton is hiding cosmetic work or injuries given to her by William in a case of domestic violence, the possibility of a divorce, and even Kate being sent to rehab. The Palace did little to stop this fire from spreading, especially after the couple released a heavily photoshopped photograph of Kate and her children for Mother’s Day.

All of this came to a sudden halt when the video dropped on March 22.. Suddenly, #whereiskate was swamped by messages of sympathy and endless waves of articles reporting on the princess’ illness. At the same time, as with most things the British Royal Family does, not everybody on the internet was convinced by the announcement. Conspiracy theories continue circulating.

Regardless of whether the Kate Middleton news was correct or not, I think there is a big lesson for all internet users to take from this video. For weeks on end, the private life of an individual and her family were subjected to thorough examination and treatment of speculation and conspiracy. A range of theories, from silly to extremely hurtful, were casually spread about Kate. Internet users felt free to imagine scenarios of domestic abuse, illness, and family breakup, mostly for their entertainment value. There was little appreciation for the fact that, while part of the royalty with a special societal status, Kate and her family are also just human beings on the other side of the screen.

With Kate Middleton’s case, the internet has once again shown us that it has forgotten empathy. It revealed that entertainment is more important to us than the truth and that deeply private matters, such as health and family can and will be torn into pieces until all users are satisfied with the information they receive.

We must take this as a lesson for the future. Even though it is easy to live in the comfort of internet anonymity, there is always somebody on the other side of the screen who will feel our words and actions deeply and personally. This attitude should guide all of our future actions online.