Kate Middleton’s mysterious ‘disappearance’ drama – a timeline: from conspiracy theories around her surgery and King Charles’ cancer to recent paparazzi pics, but what did Prince William have to say?
Kate Middleton has been spotted for the first time since December, months after her January hospitalisation that spawned rampant conspiracy theories and viral suppositions about her alleged “disappearance”.
But royal watchers have taken to social media to question her whereabouts and condition online.
Here’s everything we know so far.
Kate Middleton made her most recent public appearance on Christmas
Catherine joined the royal family for their annual walk from Sandringham in Norfolk to attend a church service on Christmas.
The Princess of Wales walked with her children and husband to the Church of St Mary Magdalene in one of her signature coatdresses, much like she did in years past.
Kensington Palace announced Kate was in hospital for “a planned abdominal surgery” on January 17
Kensington Palace said in its statement on January 17 that Kate would remain at The London Clinic for up to two weeks following the procedure.
“Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for planned abdominal surgery,” the statement read. “The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”
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Kensington Palace provided no additional information about what procedure Kate underwent, though the palace told the Associated Press the princess does not have cancer.
William was photographed visiting Kate at the hospital the following day.
Kensington Palace said Kate returned to Windsor Castle on January 29
“The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery,” the statement shared on Instagram said. “She is making good progress.”
William and Kate went on to thank the staff at The London Clinic in the statement, as well as those who sent them well wishes.
The same day, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles was returning home after having a procedure for a benign prostate enlargement.
Buckingham Palace announced King Charles has cancer on February 5
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that “a separate issue of concern was noted” during the king’s prostate procedure, and additional testing revealed he has cancer. The palace did not disclose what form of cancer he was diagnosed with, though they said it was not prostate cancer.
The statement also said that the king “commenced a schedule of regular treatments” and that although he would still be working from home, he would “postpone public-facing duties” per medical advice.
The palace did not specify how long the king would forgo public-facing work.
“His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer,” the statement also said.
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Prince William returned to public duty on February 7
William paused his royal engagements amid Kate’s surgery and recovery, returning to work on February 7 for an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
The same day, he attended a gala raising money for the London Air Ambulance, and he thanked the public for their messages of support for Kate, according to Town & Country.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days,” he said, adding that “it means a great deal to us all”.
He has attended a handful of public events since.
Kate went to Norfolk to continue her recovery on February 9
On February 9, Kate reportedly joined her family at their home in Sandringham, Anmer Hall, while her children had a half-term holiday. Her recovery was reportedly going well at the time. She was not photographed during her trip from Windsor to Sandringham.
King Charles was photographed a few times throughout February, while Kate remained unseen.
Although he isn’t taking on public-facing duties, King Charles has still been photographed a few times since his cancer diagnosis and the beginning of his treatment.
Kate, on the other hand, apparently remained absent, as Kensington Palace released no photos or videos of her.
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William released a rare solo statement on February 20
Typically, William and Kate have released statements as a pair since they got married.
But on February 20, Kensington Palace released a statement on only William’s behalf regarding the conflict in Gaza, in which he said he remains “deeply concerned about the human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October”.
In addition to only speaking for William, the statement had a “W” seal at the top rather than the crown featured on messages from the Prince and Princess of Wales as a unit.
William misses a Service of Thanksgiving because of an unnamed personal matter on February 27
William was set to attend the event alongside Queen Camilla and other family members, but missed the service due to a personal matter, as Kensington Palace told us. A palace representative also said that Kate was doing well, but they did not elaborate on what caused William to miss the event.
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The financier, 45, was found dead on Sunday at a property in Gloucestershire. His cause of death is under investigation, but it’s not believed to involve suspicious circumstances, CNN reported.
Kensington Palace shuts down conspiracy theories regarding Kate Middleton’s health on February 29
“We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant,” a spokesperson said on February 29, per People, noting the 42-year-old is “doing well”.
TMZ spots Kate in public for the first time since hospitalisation on March 4
The Princess of Wales was photographed on March 4 by Backgrid, a photo-hosting agency, near Windsor Castle in the UK sitting in the passenger seat of an Audi driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, according to TMZ.
The princess sighting reportedly came via paparazzi pictures that were not authorised by the palace.
The casual outing – featuring the princess in sunglasses and without security – is the first time that the 42-year-old has been seen in public since the Christmas service, People reported.
- Kate Middleton had a ‘planned abdominal surgery’ then disappeared from the public eye – sparking #whereiskatemiddleton conspiracy theories, from an organ donation to a Brazilian butt lift to a coma
- Throughout the past 2 months, King Charles was also diagnosed with cancer and Lady Gabriella Kingston’s husband Thomas Kingston was found dead – but Kate was just spotted with her mum Carole Middleton