The editor of Us Weekly has described the speculation around the “disappearance” of Catherine, Princess of Wales from the public eye this year as a “seminal moment for celebrity and entertainment journalism”.

Dan Wakeford, who joined the magazine in March, said many journalists were “chastened” by Kate’s announcement that she was undergoing treatment for cancer after widespread media speculation about the reasons for her not appearing in public.

Wakeford was editor of People magazine, the most-read celebrity title in the US, for three years and then spent 2023 as editor-in-chief of digital news start-up The Messenger, which closed down in January after almost nine months of publication.