Princess of Wales: the shocking revelation and symbolism of daffodils and the lone bench
By Hemantha Yapa Abeywardena from United Kingdom
Kate Middleton has revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer. image Source:-ndtv.com
It may be cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words, but its impact on the human psyche has been remaining unchallenged for eons.
Having come under intense media scrutiny that bordered on sheer intrusion of privacy, Catherine, Princess of Wales GCVO, casually known as Kate Middleton, finally came out two weeks ago, disclosing her serious illness – the dreaded cancer.
Even in the good old days, her life had not been easy: appearing in a new outfit every single day without giving any ammunition to the media to amplify even a minor flaw to be flashed across the front pages; she has to be all smiles every single minute in public; endless public engagements without taking a break, even if you are unwell, while putting on a brave face; looking after three young kids and attending to their needs, while making sure they don’t miss mother’s vital affection, to name but a few.
It’s a tall order for any human being, let alone a princess and in this context, facing the cumulative challenge that inevitably breeds its own share stress must have taken its toll on her health in the end.
In this context, the book published by Prince Harry, her brother-in-law, the ever-growing popularity of Crown on Netflix and of course, chitter-chatter beyond the corridors of power hardly cushion the blow on a gentle human soul.
Having contemplated the handling of the curiosity of her subjects, the princes finally decided to go pubic without leaving any stone unturned – with a subtle message to be deciphered, though.
While the media talked about her being pale and subdued – and for obvious reasons – the very obsession with her appearance on a sad event like this, they completely overlooked her choice of the place and the surroundings in delivering the message – a bolt from the blue; they are neither random nor stemming from a narrowed down choice.
First of all, the choice of daffodils in the background, the first blooming yellow flower at the onset of spring, stands significant: when you go into a park in the early spring in Europe, the sight of millions of them in the distance as far as the eye can see, especially, when the Sun is bright, instils an inexplicable, refreshing joy, indeed; a subtle, cool breeze just amplifies the very feeling to ecstatic heights.
Daffodils have been a source of inspiration and joy since time immemorial. A poem written in the 18th century on the iconic flower, still reverberates beyond the literally circles, as it did during the time of the poet who penned it, William Wordsworth:
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed’and gazed’but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
By extension, daffodils have been a source of hope and resilience for cancer patients for decades.
Since the 1950s, cancer societies all over the world have used the daffodil to represent the prospect of brighter days ahead for those battling cancer, as the polar opposites can haunt the sufferers in the event of becoming psychologically weak.
As the daffodil is one of the first flowers to bloom in spring, it goes without saying, the symbolization of rebirth, renewal, hope, happiness, transcending cultural roadblocks.
The American Cancer Society and the Irish Cancer Society, for instance, have been at the forefront in holding the annual daffodils days to bring hope to cancer sufferers and their loved ones, while eclipsing the doom and gloom associated with an illness of this kind.
By coincidence, daffodil has been the official flower of Wales and the presence of the former on their outfits of both Prince and Princess Wales for all to see, has been well documented.
The other symbol that Princess of Wales chose was a lonely bench: it may represent that the burden of beating the disease is entirely on her shoulders and not anyone else outside or the vast institution that she represents, despite the access to the best medical care on the planet that one can imagine.
In short, she seems to be signalling the fact that the onus is on her to fight against the cancer at both psychological and emotional levels, especially being a mother of three very young kids; no outsider can assist her in that challenge.
Cancer is more of a squatter than a burglar: the former, by the loose definition of the term, is in for a relatively long time in the property he set his sights on and the latter may be in for a quick loot before leaving the place ransacked.
I am sure, at just 42, Princess of Wales is young, vigorous and optimistic enough to keep the squatter at bay and in all probability, she will beat the disease.
In this context, on a positive note, she appeared to have chosen the beautiful spring that nature has offered her as the first stepping stone to tread on, in order to complement – not substitute – the lengthy healing process.
Last, but not least, the media has left her alone and it will contribute immensely to her physical healing and that of emotional in the immediate family – at least, for now.
