In January, Kensington Palace announced that Kate Middleton had undergone planned abdominal surgery and would not resume public duties until “after Easter” at the earliest.
“The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate,” the palace said at the time. “She hopes the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality as possible for her children; and her desire to keep her personal medical information private.” After being discharged from a London clinic, Kensington Palace said the princess would recuperate at home at Adelaide Cottage. Later, Prince William shared that his wife had two “wonderful and kind” nurses looking after her. But broadly speaking, the palace noted that they don’t provide updates, except when there is “significant new information to share.”
However, earlier this week, when Prince William missed his godfather King Constantine’s memorial service in Windsor due to a “personal matter”, the palace – perhaps sensing an unspecified explanation for William’s absence and speculating about the Princess of Wales – shared a health update. On Kate, he said she was “doing well”.
After Prince William’s mysterious “personal affair,” the shock death of Thomas Kingston (son-in-law of the Prince of Kent and Princess Michael), along with increased interest in the royal family, the Internet suddenly exploded in conversation about Kate. Middleton’s health.
The Princess’ last public appearance was at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2023.
Speculations on X (formerly Twitter) ranged from serious concerns for Kate’s health to silly memes. As a user named Mahida Wrote in X“I’ve fallen down the Kate Middleton rabbit hole and someone needs to come get me out immediately. It’s wild out here.”
Conspiracy theorists are keeping the palace silent on Kate’s health and whereabouts, although that was always their plan, even more so. The lack of updates on Kate is in contrast to the communication regarding King Charles in recent weeks. Since Buckingham Palace announced Charles’ cancer diagnosis, he has been photographed attending church in Sandringham, meeting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and reading get well cards sent to the palace.
King Charles also publicly shared a personal message, writing, “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and well wishes I have received in recent days. As anyone affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are of the greatest comfort and encouragement.” Of course, Kate is not a head of state like Charles, but as she is a working senior royal, and a key member of the family, the absence of any news has been worrying for many.
Others on social media were more lighthearted in their posts about Kate. “The Kate Middleton drama is difficult because I don’t care about the royal family or conspiracy theories, however, I do care about everyone’s business,” one person said. wrote. There were also jokes about how she was growing bags, or hiding them from her children in the bathroom. Some people shared fictional characters who could “find” her, such as detective Olivia Benson, or too That Kate “entered the princess protection program.”
Kate’s last public appearance was on Christmas Day, when she joined the rest of the royal family at Sandringham for church services. As Kensington Palace previously shared, she is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter (Easter Sunday falls on March 31 this year). Indeed, after this widespread speculation, the palace reiterated, “Kensington Palace clarified the timeline for the Princess’ recovery in January and we will only provide significant updates. That guidance stands.” He reiterated that Kate was “doing well”.
So despite speculation online, there won’t be any answers about the Princess of Wales anytime soon.
Emily Burack (he/she) is senior news editor for Town & Country, where she covers a range of topics including entertainment, culture, the royal family and more. Before joining T&C, she was deputy managing editor at Jewish culture site Hey Alma. Follow her @emburack Twitter And Instagram.