Shocking news about the Princess of Wales.
Thirteen years ago my wife and I were passing through St Andrews during one of our regular trips to Scotland.
By coincidence Prince William and Kate Middleton were there too, and driving past my old school playing fields on the edge of town we were held up by a police road block and signs that read 'Royal Visit'.
We had been sitting in a stationary queue of cars for perhaps ten minutes when a small cavalcade of vehicles, led by a police motorcyclist and a black Range Rover, passed in the opposite direction.
And yes, in the Range Rover sat Kate and William, smiling broadly, directly at us, as we waved back at them.
A few hours later, following a leisurely lunch, we were strolling along Market Street in the centre of town when I was stopped by a film crew. Would I mind answering some questions about the monarchy and the young couple in particular?
The next minute I was telling the world how important the monarchy was to Britain and launching a staunch defence of both the institution and William and Kate. (This was a few months before they got married.)
Kate in particular could not have envisaged the life she now has when she was a student in St Andrews, and while it may come with a lot of privilege I’m not sure many people could have handled the transformation from ‘commoner’ to royalty as well as she has.
The relentless grind of royal engagements while bringing up a young family has its own challenges, but the hardest must be living in a perpetual goldfish bowl, with the world gawping and commenting on your every move and outfit.
Hopefully the conspiracy theorists will now desist and she will be given the privacy she is entitled to without the vile and very personal comments that have been commonplace on social media, in particular, in recent months.
On a more positive note, she will no doubt have the best treatment and after care available in this country. I wish her a full and speedy recovery.