The following article details some of the popular speculation and conspiracy theories that were made about the Princess of Wales’ location. However, recent developments reveal that Middleton has been diagnosed with cancer. In a video announcement published on March 22, the Princess disclosed that her diagnosis comes following an abdominal surgery that she underwent in January. The Princess is now in the early stages of chemotherapy treatment and hopes to make a full recovery. She asked the public for time, space, and privacy.
Kate Middleton, AKA Catherine, Princess of Wales and wife to Prince William, has been seemingly missing since the end of 2023. Her last public appearance was made on Dec. 25, 2023, when she celebrated the holidays with the Royal Family. On Jan. 17, Kensington Palace released a statement saying that Middleton had been hospitalized for emergency abdominal surgery and wouldn’t be making any further public appearances until after the Easter holiday on March 31.
This statement didn’t raise much initial concern, other than well wishes for Middleton’s health, but the following events raised flags for the public and led to further questions.
On March 10, almost two months after Middleton’s surgery announcement, a photo was released of her and her three children in honor of Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, but was quickly pulled after reports that it was photoshopped.
This sent the media and people worldwide into a frenzy, realizing that something might be wrong as the Royal Family had never done something like that to an image before. Theories, some more absurd than others, began popping up over where Middleton may have been. I am deep into the rabbit hole of “Katespiracy,” so here are some crazy theories I’ve seen about the Princess’ whereabouts.
Filming the newest season of The Masked Singer
The reality show of celebrities disguised in costumes and singing for a panel of judges to guess who they are has been surprisingly popular since its debut in 2019, and Middleton is one of the newest suspects. People online suspected that the real reason she had been out of the public eye for so long was that she was filming the show’s newest season and couldn’t be seen at risk of people finding out she was on the show. This is obviously extremely far-fetched, but the show has had some outrageous guests in the past, so who’s to say that it can’t be true?
Dating Pete Davidson
This is just pure insanity, but some have thrown out that Kate Middleton was in a secret relationship with comedian Pete Davidson. Davidson has a reputation for being able to pull just about any girl, so why not a princess? This is truly a silly joke, although I’m sure Prince William and Davidson’s current girlfriend, Madelyn Cline, probably didn’t find it very funny.
She Got a BBL
This one goes along with the timeframe of Middleton’s surgery; the recovery period for an abdominal surgery is the same as that for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL). People online had begun theorizing that Middleton got a BBL but is trying to hide it because it goes against the royal code.
Divorce?
This is a more serious theory and one that I desperately want to be false, but many thought that Middleton had been out of the public eye because she and Prince William were getting a divorce. Many thought that William had been having an affair with the couple’s friend Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Sound familiar?
People thought that the apple may not have fallen far from the tree: William may have made similar choices to his father, King Charles III, who infamously cheated on Princess Diana, the late Princess of Wales, with the current Queen Consort Camilla. That, as we all know, ended in Charles’ and Diana’s divorce.
A Much More Serious Diagnosis
The final popular theory that unfortunately turned out to be the closest to the truth is that Middleton was given a serious diagnosis. Some thought that the princess was being treated for a long-term condition and the royal family was choosing to keep it private. This does make sense with the diagnosis and announcement of the King’s cancer treatment, as it would be quite frightening to have two very high-ranking members of the royal family undergoing serious treatments.
Kate finally Spotted
On March 18, in a video released to the press, Middleton was seemingly filmed walking through a farm shop with Prince William. This was the first sighting of her that appeared to not be a blurry or altered photo since the start of the year.
While the ridiculous speculations made over the past couple of weeks were undoubtedly amusing, now that the unfortunate news of Middleton’s diagnosis has broken, the public owes her and the rest of the royal family the utmost respect and privacy.
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