The whereabouts of the Princess of Wales has come under intense scrutiny from internet sleuths ever since she went to hospital for “planned abdominal surgery” in January. Why?
When Catherine, Princess of Wales, stepped out at the royal family’s annual Christmas Day church service at Sandringham last year, it would prove to be the last time one of the world’s most photographed people would be seen in public for many weeks.
And the internet has since lost its collective mind over it.
From outrageous rumours around plastic surgery to the curious case of a “manipulated” official family photo this week, speculation about what has happened to the woman better known as Kate Middleton is at a fever pitch.
How exactly did we get here?
‘Planned abdominal surgery’
Back in mid-January, Kensington Palace announced the Princess of Wales had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery” at The London Clinic, a private hospital on Harley Street.
"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," the palace said in a statement.
"Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."
The statement went on to say the princess “[appreciated] the interest this statement will generate” – although she probably couldn’t quite anticipate the depths of that interest.
The rumours begin almost immediately
With Kate choosing to keep her personal medical information private, the internet almost immediately began to speculate as to what kind of surgery would entail a lengthy hospital stay and an even lengthier recuperation at home.
Others doubted how “planned” the procedure could be given she had upcoming engagements that needed postponing.
But by January 29, Kensington Palace said the princess had returned to Windsor Castle to continue her recovery and was “making good progress”.
Some extremely normal theories emerge
In the absence of any details about why the Princess of Wales needed to spend a couple of months out of the public eye, the rest of the world came up with their own theories.
Some speculated she was in a coma, others said she was growing out a disastrous fringe or recovering from a BBL (Brazilian butt lift).
As February dragged on, those rumours extended to Kate secretly being part of an infamous Willy Wonka-themed chocolate experience in Glasgow. Some on social media also pointed out there hadn’t been any new Banksy artworks since the princess had gone on hiatus.
But those rumours really spiralled out of control on February 27 when her husband Prince William cancelled going to a memorial for his godfather, King Constantine II of Greece, at the last minute due to a “personal matter”.
Kensington Palace responded to that explosion of conspiracy theories by releasing a statement that the Princess of Wales was “doing well”.
"Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess' recovery and we'd only be providing significant updates," it told the New York Post at the time.
"That guidance stands."
The princess is spotted in the wild
Several days later, a very grainy image showed the Princess of Wales travelling in a car alongside her mother, Carole Middleton.
The photo was splashed across several US media outlets but did not feature in any major UK publications.
Then, two days ago, Kensington Palace seemingly tried to quell rumours about Kate’s whereabouts by releasing a photo of her with her children for Mother’s Day (which, don’t panic, is celebrated on a different day in the UK).
But that move would backfire spectacularly.
A ‘manipulated’ photo
London-based Kiwi reporter Jordyn Rudd breaks down the scandal. (Source: Breakfast)
Several hours after the happy family pic was released, international news agencies issued a “kill notice” for it, pulling it from distribution.
As had already been discovered by amateur detectives everywhere, the photo had been altered, which did nothing to dampen the rampant conspiracy theories doing the rounds.
The Princess of Wales copped to altering the image in a statement the next day.
“Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote.
“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
Later that day, a photo of Prince William leaving Windsor Castle to attend a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey circulated. Seated in the car next to him was a woman. The woman’s brown hair and cheekbones suggested it was his wife, however she did not attend the service at the Abbey.
So, what is going on?
Amidst the wild speculation, it’s probably worth returning to the original press statement that started this whole wild journey.
Kensington Palace said the Princess of Wales would spend 10-14 days in hospital following surgery. The news she had left the hospital came 12 days later.
That same statement said she would then spend time recovering at home and would be unlikely to return to public duty until after Easter – which is still more than two weeks away.
The palace had also said it would only provide updates on the royal’s progress “when there is significant new information to share”, which has also come to pass so far.
It’s almost like there’s nothing to see here?
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