'Kate Middleton's bravery shames snipers like Narinder Kaur who are desperate for publicity'

Big Brother star Narinder Kaur sparked outrage by commenting on the Princess of Wales's appearance - but she's just one 'sniper' Kate has brutally faced this year, according to a royal expert

The Princess of Wales has fallen victim to a huge amount of trolling in the past year - and despite how painful it undoubtedly must be, Kate's hidden strength knows no bounds, according to one royal expert.

Kate, 42, came under fire once again this week when Big Brother and Good Morning Britain star Narinder Kaur criticised her appearance on site X, formerly Twitter, with a 'nasty' comment. The TV personality commented on a photograph of the mother-of-three, who has been recovering since being diagnosed with cancer, looking sombre at a memorial service on Remembrance Sunday.

Narinder sparked outrage as she posted: "Genuine question - why has Kate aged so much? Isn't she only 42? Is she a smoker? It's the only explanation." Hundreds of horrified followers hit out at Narinder and claimed it was 'disgusting' to criticise Kate's appearance during her cancer battle, to which the former BB contestant followed up with an apology and deleted the offensive tweet.

But Narinder is just one 'sniper' to lash out at Kate during her cancer journey, and it's possible the princess has seen the remark, royal biographer Ingrid Seward says. The royal commentator and editor of Majesty Magazine tells the Mirror: "Catherine has faced a huge amount of scrutiny since she withdrew from the public eye in January.

"When she put out a happy family photograph of herself and the children to celebrate Mother's Day, social media sites were jammed as followers noticed the picture had been digitally altered. Catherine was obliged to issue an apology, but she was as upset as anyone would be, especially if they were weakened from chemotherapy."

Of Narinder's comment, Ingrid said: "Most recently, another sniper has come forward to criticise Catherine's appearance on the Whitehall balcony at Remembrance Day. The remarks were unkind, unnecessary and contrived to make maximum impact. I do not believe for one moment they were said for any reason other than to gain publicity for the troller."

The royal author continued: "This unpleasantness is something we all have to live with. I am sure Catherine was at least relieved that she was the target rather than a younger member of the family, who may not have been able to deal with it so well."

The future Queen has been forced to watch on as vile vitriol about her health and whereabouts has spread like wildfire on the internet in recent months - a whole new challenge for modern-day royals to overcome. Ingrid explained: "The Royal Family have always been the recipients of what we now call trolling. In Tudor times it was achieved by lies and deceit against the monarch or those closest to him.

"In Princess Diana's day, it was done by anonymous letters typewritten and unsigned. The royal protection squad made sure the recipient handed the offensive mail over to them and they then dealt with it. Queen Camilla never saw the dreadful things said about her on social media as she wisely didn't go searching for them.

"But the younger generation, especially the Prince and Princess of Wales, are modern thinkers and like to have control of their own lives. And that means having the choice of being able to see what is said about them in the media and online however unpleasant and upsetting it might be."

Amid the negativity on social media, it has been announced Kate will host her annual Christmas carol concert this year, which will reflect on "how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives". It will be one of the highest profile appearances she's done since revealing an intimate video she was recovering from cancer.

Despite her health struggles, she was determined the annual televised festive event at Westminster Abbey would go ahead on December 6, to be broadcast on Christmas Eve. It is one of the few engagements chosen for her gradual return to public duties after finishing chemotherapy treatment in the summer.

Kensington Palace said Kate particularly wanted the service's theme to celebrate those supporting others in need, with a focus on the importance of love and empathy. The Palace said: "This year's service provides a moment to reflect upon the importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives."