Social media users are asking, “Where has Kate Middleton gone?” The Princess of Wales has been the focus of media attention and social media chatter in recent months. It’s been two months since Kate was last seen or heard from, and her sudden absence has sparked a storm of speculation and conspiracy theories about her whereabouts and well-being.
Nearly two months ago, Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales had undergone abdominal surgery at a London hospital, stating that she was still hospitalized and “feeling well.” The reason for her hospitalization and subsequent surgery was not disclosed, but the palace reiterated several times that details about her health would remain private and that Kate wished to focus on her recovery surrounded by family members.
Twitter erupted with a precise chronological timeline of events in the royal family shortly after international photo agencies revealed that the picture Kate Middleton had posted two days ago was photoshopped!
The last public sighting of Kate was on Christmas Day 2023.
Three days later, a convoy of royal family vehicles was photographed heading towards King Edward VII Hospital. On January 17th, it was announced that Kate had undergone a scheduled operation “in the abdominal area” and her return was expected after Easter.
On the same day, the royal palace announced that Prince Charles was hospitalized for prostate surgery. On January 18th, media outlets published a picture of Prince William leaving the hospital where Kate was admitted. On January 21st, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, announced that she had skin cancer.
A week later, it was revealed that Prince Charles had cancer discovered incidentally during his surgery. Meanwhile, there was no word on Kate. The American internet portal TMZ released a picture purportedly showing Kate Middleton with her mother, but she didn’t resemble herself in the photo. Many believe that standing beside Middleton’s mother is her sister, Pippa.
Following this release, social media erupted with comments – “why doesn’t she look like herself,” “why is the picture so blurry,” “why would paparazzi take only one picture”… and then rumors started circulating that something was amiss with Kate Middleton.
The latest blow came two days ago when the palace released a Photoshopped picture of Kate Middleton with her children, which was later discovered to be manipulated. The same day, newspapers were ordered to remove this picture. After the Photoshop fiasco, Kate spoke out, admitting that “she did Photoshop, but not very well.” Numerous conspiracy theories are circulating on social media – from speculation that the operation “didn’t go well” to the “main” theory that Kate left Prince William because he allegedly cheated on her with Lady Rose Hanbury.