He said: “Taken together these actions demonstrate a clear and persistent pattern of behaviour that signals hostile intent from China.”
The UK is now slapping sanctions on two individuals and has summoned the Chinese ambassador – but China has already hit back at the claims, calling them a “slander”.
Kensington Palace announced in mid-January Princess Kate would remain far from the public eye until after Easter as she had undergone a successful abdominal surgery.
Her prolonged public absence prompted furore in some corners of social media, with many users – including a few celebrities – joking or voicing concerns about her whereabouts, wellbeing and domestic life.
The frenzy peaked following the release by Kensington Palace of a Mothering Sunday picture which, due to some editing carried out by the Princess, was retracted by the major picture agencies.
On March 22, Princess Kate and Prince William’s office released a video in which the Princess of Wales revealed analysis carried out after her surgery revealed cancer “had been present”, which has led her to begin “preventative chemotherapy”.
This news marked another cruel blow to the Royal Family, coming only weeks after Sarah Ferguson and King Charles were also diagnosed with cancer.
Minutes after Kensington Palace had shared this touching video, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a statement in which he expressed his support for the Wales’ family and said Kate had been “subjected to intense scrutiny” in recent weeks as well as “unfairly treated” on social media.
