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If you’ve been active on Twitter at all in the past few weeks, chances are you’ve seen some crazy things hit your timeline. From the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience to the Academy Awards, there have been many meme-able moments in March 2024. But arguably, none compare to the thousands of tweets about Kate Middleton… and the recent BBC royal announcement memes.

The Princess of Wales has not made a public appearance in months, which is rare for members of the Royal Family. Naturally, the internet did what the internet does best in this situation: made conspiracy theories, jokes, and memes. When news came out that the BBC was on hold for an incoming “royal announcement,” the conspiracies exploded.

Here’s the background on Kate-gate. Kate Middleton made her last public appearance on Christmas Day 2023. On Jan. 17, 2024, Kensington Palace released a statement saying the Princess of Wales had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery.” On March 10, Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, the family posted a photo of Kate and her three children — but viewers were quick to point out suspicions about the photo. There were a few spots on the photo, particularly on Princess Charlotte’s sweater sleeve, that had been obviously altered. Kate also did not have her wedding ring on in the photo. Even the Associated Press issued a notification that the photo had been digitally altered.

On Monday, March 11, Kate tweeted from her and William’s shared account, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.” Naturally, the idea that the future Queen of England had photoshopped her own pictures was cause for even more confusion online.

The Royal Announcement sparked internet commentary… and memes.

On March 17, #RoyalAnnouncement began to trend on Twitter after a rumor was spread that the British Broadcasting Corporation was expecting an announcement from the royal family. Although this claim is alleged and has not been proven, it spread like wildfire across the internet.

Twitter user Pizza Dad posted, “Everybody checking twitter for the royal announcement” along with the famous video of The Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance. 

Twitter users have also used a royal announcement template to put jokes and song lyrics. User @eventuallydrlin tweeted “omg can’t believe it” with the lyrics of Charlie XCX’s song “Vroom Vroom.”

Other users used the announcement as an excuse to share their favorite theories about Kate’s whereabouts: that she’s a guest on The Masked Singer, that she had a BBL, or that she was at the infamous Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience.

Although the current rumors of a “royal announcement” are not confirmed, there are unfortunately some difficult events happening in the royal family. Buckingham Palace shared in February that King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, and he has since postponed his royal duties. This news, combined with confusion about Kate’s health and well-being, has kept the royal family under heavy reporting and scrutiny in the past few months.

As fun as the Kate memes have been in the past few weeks, it looks like the conspiracies are coming to an end: Kate was reportedly spotted with Prince William at a local farm shop on March 18.

Jordyn Stapleton has been a National Lifestyle Writer for Her Campus since February 2023. She covers a variety of topics in her articles, but is most passionate about writing about mental health and social justice issues. Jordyn graduated from CU Boulder in December 2022 with Bachelor’s degrees in music and psychology with a minor in gender studies and a certificate in public health. Jordyn was involved in Her Campus during college, serving as an Editorial Assistant and later Editor-in-Chief for the CU Boulder chapter. She has also worked as a freelance stringer for the Associated Press. Jordyn is currently taking a gap year and working at a local business in Boulder, with hopes of attending graduate school in fall 2024. Jordyn enjoys reading, bullet journalling, and listening to (preferably Taylor Swift) music in her free time. If she isn’t brainstorming her next article, you can usually find her exploring coffee shops or hiking trails around Boulder with her friends.