If you've arrived here due to Kate Middleton's name trending and a flood of unhinged conspiracy theories hitting your timeline, we are here to clear some things up. For those of you that aren't up to speed, here's what is currently happening: the Princess of Wales hasn't been seen in public for over a month due to having what appears to be quite a serious surgery.
And while the Palace was clear she'd be out of the public eye during her recovery, the internet has been spiralling—especially in light of Prince William pulling out of his godfather's memorial (which was held right next to his house) for 'personal reasons.'
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Meanwhile, Twitter users have turned into sleuths into attempts to make sense of it all:
So, where is Kate Middlton? It's really not that complicated, but let's lay out what we know in a timeline.
December 25, 2023
The Princess is seen during the royals' annual Christmas walk with her family. This is her most recent public appearance—she has not been seen in public since.
January 17, 2024
The Palace announces Kate Middlton had 'planned abdominal surgery' on January 16 and will be in the hospital for 10-14 days. Note: in their statement, they tell everyone explicitly that Kate will be out of the public eye, saying, 'Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.'
Meanwhile, The Daily Mail's reporter Rebecca English confirms Kate's condition is non-cancerous:
January 24, 2024
People reports 'there had been no indication that anything was wrong' within the Prince and Princess of Wales' 'broader circle of family friends,' and Kate's hospitalisation was a surprise 'even to those who work closely with the royal family.'
People also reports Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated the latter's birthday on January 9, but by January 11, it 'became evident' that some of Kate's royal engagements hadn't been confirmed and there was 'growing concern' behind the scenes.
January 29, 2024
Kensington Palace releases a statement confirming Kate Middlton is back home following her hospitalisation, saying, 'The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress. The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided. The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.'
February 1, 2024
The Times reports the Palace is extremely upset by 'made-up' reports that the princess was in an induced coma while in the hospital. 'It’s total nonsense,' an insider says. 'No attempt was made by that journalist to fact-check anything that she said with anyone in the household. It’s fundamentally, totally made-up, and I’ll use polite English here: It’s absolutely not the case.'
February 7, 2024
William breaks silence on Kate while at an event, saying, '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. It means a great deal to us all... It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus, so I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!'
February 27, 2024
Prince William pulls out of a memorial service for his godfather, citing 'personal reasons'—despite the fact that it's held at St. George's Chapel (right next to William and Kate's Windsor home).
At the same time, Kensington Palace confirms Kate 'continues to be doing well.'
February 28, 2024
Royal biographer Phil Dampier tells the Daily Mail that 'William only lives a stone's throw away, so it's very concerning' that he pulled out of his godfather's memorial.
Meanwhile, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams says 'William's non-appearance at the Memorial Service for his godfather King Constantine, the last king of Greece, owing to a personal matter is certainly unexpected.'
That brings us up to date, but again: the Palace confirmed Kate would be out of the public eye until after Easter, and as of this article's publication it's not even March yet!
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