that's gareth russell there come a real commentator.apt to social media, two different forms of disseminating information. the royal family has been embracing social media, been using it to put out video messages and photos and speak to people directly, but also keenly aware of that being a place where speculation can run rampant. absolutely, it's a real double edge sword, isn't it? during the pandemic when everyone was not allowed to mix in the royal family they mostly used to say, the late queen, it had to be seen to be believed. she managed to do that by putting stuff out there on social media, recording things, and putting it out there. and the king to a certain point has been doing the same thing since his cancer diagnosis and starting treatment last month. he has still felt present in a way because the palace have let us know that audiences have been happening, there been photographs there has been a sense that he is managing to carry on his work even if he's not appearing in public facing duty, so there is that sign social media

let's bring in gareth russell. it with good death -- gareth good to see you again. you wrote about the history of the royal family. put this in perspective and tell us your reaction. >> thank you for having the martha. on one level of course it is incredibly sad as any cancer diagnosis is for any public figure. i also want to say on a personal note i was immensely proud of my country and a way to see the grace and the dignity that the princess showed in that video. it was uplifting in a situation that is often not uplifting. i think what it has shown is that there's a not a nose peg big in the world that come from the stench and help hawker sea from people that of comment on this in the past few weeks or months, speculation as he rightly said about her marriage, about her weight, about her mental health, about her physical health and ultimately when she asked for was until easter to process. it is not yet easter. in some since the mirror that this holds up to a lot of modern society is a very unflattering reflection. >> martha: you know, i think even initially when