Royals: Part 8

Chapter 5

'Telegraph Runs False Story Claiming Duchess of Windsor is Expecting'

'Jackie, Duchess of Windsor, was affronted by a swarm of paparazzo while shopping in Holt on Tuesday morning, following the publication of a false claim in the Telegraph. The UK newspaper, widely regarded for its accuracy, has since apologized to the Duchess, citing a faulty source.'

'"We sincerely regret the publication of a false story on Tuesday regarding HRH the Duchess of Windsor. We received information which has since been disproven, and apologize to the Duchess for any stress that was caused by the publication.""

'The story, which claimed to have come from a palace insider, reported the the Duchess of Windsor was in the second trimester of her fourth pregnancy.'

'The Windsors faced a difficult few months last year, when Jackie suffered a late-term miscarriage and was shortly thereafter diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer. Kensington Palace released unprecedented medical information during the course of Jackie's illness, revealing that the cancer would be aggressively treated with radiation therapy and a double oophorectomy, or removal of both ovaries.'

'The rumor was likely very hurtful to the Duke and Duchess, as it certainly brought up memories of last year's tragedy. Following the removal of a woman's ovaries, she is no longer able to have children. Had the Duchess not miscarried her fourth child in October, she would currently be eight months pregnant, ready to deliver in April, based on when the official pregnancy announcement was made by Kensington Palace.'

'Following the Duchess's miscarriage and cancer treatment, press attention of the 32-year-old royal has increased dramatically. She narrated and was featured in The White Helmets, a film released in January of this year. The documentary is the highest-watched film on Netflix to date -- the Duchess's involvement helping it to reach a wider sampling of viewers and gathering critical acclaim. It is rumored that The White Helmets will be nominated for an Oscar.'

'The price of a photograph of the Duchess has increased by nearly 500%, making her photograph more valuable to paparazzo than the rarely-spotted Queen. With such a high bounty on his wife's head, Prince Harry may be reminded of the last months of his mother's tragically-ended life, when she could hardly go out in public without a crowd of at least 50 photographers in pursuit.'

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"James is going to help Chris manage the crowd," Harry called over the excited screeches of Caroline and Cece, who he was attempting to wrangle into jackets.

"That really isn't necessary, he was supposed to have the day off," Jackie replied, her voice raised so Harry could hear her over the twin's voices.

It was 7:45 am on Wednesday, nearly time for Harry to take Mary Kate and George to school, and Jackie to sit down with Elizabeth for her pre-engagement briefing. Their day was off to a rough start -- Nanny Sophia was ill and unable to take the twins for the morning, who were feeling especially energetic, so Harry had to bring them along on his school run. Jackie was supposed to have the morning off from getting the children dressed and fed to prepare for her engagement, but because Nanny Sophia wasn't around to help, she had to fill in. The Windsors were also preoccupied with the events of the day before, when Jackie was swarmed by paparazzo while shopping.

Harry looked a bit flustered as he struggled with the zipper on Cece's jacket. "I'm sure the press pool is going to be larger than usual, and Chris may need some extra help."

Harry was insistent that his protection officer, James, accompany Jackie and her officer, Chris, to her engagement at the hospice that morning. She thought it was unnecessary, Chris was perfectly capable of handling the press at an engagement on his own, but Jackie knew how sensitive Harry was when it came to the press, rooted in the way his mother's life was tragically ended nearly 20 years before.