In January, the British royal family’s Kensington Palace announced that Catherine, the Princess of Wales—more commonly known as Kate Middleton—had been hospitalized for an abdominal surgery and would take a break from her public duties until Easter. Then she kind of … disappeared. In an unlikely turn of events for the uber-photographed royal, Kate has not been seen, nor heard from, in the month or so since the surgery.
The simplest explanation for this is that all is going according to plan: She’s still recovering at home. Makes some sense! But because this is the royals, her absence from the spotlight has also given rise to a rash of speculation that something else may be going on. The internet, in short, has decided Kate is missing, and it’s concocted some batty conspiracy theories to prove it.
Is it all just fun and games, or is there any real reason to doubt the official narrative? Read on if you’re the type of sicko who needs to know.Kensington Palace was not very forthcoming about Kate’s illness, sharing only that it was a “planned abdominal surgery,” that she would be in the hospital for 10 to 14 days, and that she would recover at home for three months after that.
Given the nature of the British’s press’ relationship to the royal family, coverage of Kate’s illness has been relatively subdued, and where journalists seem to be keeping mum, social media has taken up the mantle of speculating. While the press no doubt has caused many headaches for the royal family over the years, the monarchy remains a powerful institution of which many journalists seem wary of running afoul, especially in moments of poor health.
On the serious end, there’s talk that Kate’s health is much worse than official statements are letting on. Some have suggested she might be dealing with a. Or the family wants him to divorce her before he becomes king. Take your pick! Mix and match! I’m not sure if this qualifies as silly or serious, but there are even some people who thinkmeme I swear I saw, but it’s sadly now lost in the ether. Or if Kate’s not dead she could merely be missing, as in no one knows where she is.