What’s going on with Kate Middleton? Everything we know so far
Kate Middleton has apologised for editing a photograph of herself and her children that deepened the mystery of her well-being.
The Princess of Wales was last seen on Christmas Day before undergoing abdominal surgery in the middle of January.
She hasn’t been seen publicly since. The prolonged disappearance has come as the Royal Family has been hit with issues, including King Charles’ ongoing cancer battle and the death of Lady Gabriella Windsor’s husband Thomas Kingston.
Prince William even pulled out of a memorial to his late godfather King Constantine due to undisclosed ‘personal matters’.
Despite Kensington Palace repeatedly stating she will not be out and about until Easter, increasingly frantic rumours over her disappearance have spread like wildfire.
A photograph of a smiling Catherine she posted on Mother’s Day only intensified the speculation, with news agencies recalling the image after determining it had been edited.
Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith, who recently entered and then left the Celebrity Big Brother house, doesn’t seem as worried as some royal fans are, however, as he shared a health update with audiences.
So, where has Kate actually been? Here’s all we know.
December 25
The last time Kate was seen in public was on Christmas Day at Sandringham in Norfolk.
She walked hand-in-hand with her husband and their children on their way to St Mary Magdalene Church.
January 16
Kate was admitted to The London clinic for abdominal surgery.
She remained there for two weeks, finally leaving on January 29.
While at the hospital, William was pictured visiting his wife once after it was announced he would take a step back from work as he focused on caring for his family.
Kate has been recovering at Adelaide Cottage in the grounds of Windsor since.
February 27
William pulled out of memorial service for his late godfather King Constantine due to an undisclosed personal matter.
Kensington Palace would not elaborate further on why he could not attend.
But in a rare update on his wife Kate Middleton said she continues to be doing well following her operation.
This left Buckingham Palace scrambling to find others to take their place as the King continued to undergo cancer treatment.
February 29
William made his first public appearance after mysteriously cancelling the event.
The Prince of Wales visited the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in central London and spoke to ambassadors and holocaust survivors, offering both his and Kate Middleton’s concerns over antisemitism.
March 1
Kensington Palace released an update on Kate’s health in an attempt to put the ridiculous rumours of her disappearance to bed.
The Palace said: ‘Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands.’
March 2
Royal aides condemned the ‘madness of social media’ after speculation over Kate’s disappearance showed no sign of stopping.
Among the wild and wacky theories circulating online include her lying in a coma, undergoing the process of being cloned, waiting for a bad haircut to grow out and having ‘Brazilian butt lift’ work done.
The aides told The Sun: ‘We were really clear from the start we weren’t going to provide a running commentary on the Princess of Wales’s health and only provide significant updates.
‘Obviously, we’ve seen the madness of social media and that is not going to change our strategy.
‘There has been much on social media but the Princess has a right to privacy and asks the public to respect that.’
March 4
Kate was spotted for the first time since her surgery in a car being driven by her mum Carole Middleton.
The photos, taken by TMZ, show her in a pair of sunglasses as she sat in the vehicle near Windsor Castle.
A witness told The Mirror: ‘It was a lovely sunny day and Kate was being driven by her mum.
‘The Princess was sitting in the passenger seat and wearing dark sunglasses but looked well as the two women were talking with one another.’
Meanwhile, William was asked during his visit to Wrexham AFC: ‘How’s Catherine?’
But the Prince of Wales failed to respond.
Pupils gave William a bouquet for Kate and he said: ‘I’ll pass them onto Catherine as well, thank you very much.’
March 5
The British Army was awkwardly made to admit it jumped the gun after saying on its website she would be appearing at Trooping the Colour in June.
Tickets were being sold on the website for the event saying she would be reviewing the troops.
Royal officials clarified that her attendance hadn’t been confirmed, with the Army removing the event page not long after.
March 10
Kensington Palace marked Mother’s Day by posting an official photograph of Kate and her three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, on her social media.
As Kate thanked well-wishers, royal watchers saw the photograph as the palace’s way to calm down the increasingly far-fetched speculation about the princess of Wales’ wellbeing.
But multiple news agencies issued a ‘kill order’ for the image (which asks clients to remove the photograph from their platforms) later that day, saying it had been doctored.
This only fanned frenzied speculation even further.
March 11
After half a day of silence from the royals, Kate apologised for the Mother’s Day photo, chalking up a few oddities to her photographer’s desire to retouch it.
‘Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,’ Catherine wrote.
‘I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.’
Kensington Palace has also refused to release the unedited photograph.
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