If you've arrived here due to Kate Middleton's name trending and a flood of conspiracy theories hitting your timeline, we are here to clear some things up! For those of you who aren't typically all that invested in the British royals, here's the deal: up until March 4, Kate hadn't been seen in public for over a month due to what appears to be a pretty major surgery.
And while the Palace was clear she'd be out of the public eye during her recovery, the internet has been spiraling—especially in light of a photo of Kate being recalled for photoshop.
Meanwhile, Twitter has just been all:
So, where is Kate? Let's lay out what we know in a timeline.
READ: A Timeline Of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales' 'Disappearance'
December 25, 2023
Kate is seen during the royals' annual Christmas walk with her family. This was her most recent public appearance.
January 17, 2024
The Palace announces Kate 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 hospitalization was a surprise "even to those who work closely with the royal family."
People also reports Wills and Kate celebrated Kate'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 is back home following her hospitalization, 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 Kate 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
Wills 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 10, 2024
Kate leaves Windsor and travels to her Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. A source tells the Daily Mail that "Catherine is recovering well. She was looking forward to a change of scene and will be able to take it easy in Norfolk while the children let off steam with William."
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 Wills 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."
February 29, 2024
Royal expert Richard Kay tells the Daily Mail that "aides insist it is not a crisis," but adds that one "long-standing courtier" added "not yet" with "distinct discomfort," which.... ????
Meanwhile, Kate Middleton's rep tells Page Six, "Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands." They add that Kate is "doing well."
March 1, 2024
A palace spokesperson gives Vanity Fair the same quote they did to Page Six the previous day: "Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess's recovery and we'd only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands."
Sources close to the princess also told Vanity Fair that she "has not ruled out one day speaking about what she has been through, but for now, her focus is on getting better and getting back to work when she is ready."
March 4, 2024
Kate is seen for the first time since her surgery, driving with her mom Carole Middleton. Check out the photo here.
That brings us up to date, but again: the Palace confirmed Kate would be out of the public eye until after Easter, so don't expect many more appearances.
March 5, 2024
The Ministry of Defense's website announces that Trooping the Colour would be be "reviewed by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales" on June 8, 2024.
March 6, 2024
Annnnnd ^ said post ^ has been fully deleted. Though, Rebecca English of the Daily Mail notes that Kate could still attend Trooping the Colour, but her attendance would likely be "confirmed nearer the time."
Meanwhile, Prince William's rep tells People, "His focus is on his work and not on social media."
March 10, 2024
The day starts off with Kensington Palace publishing a photo (taken by Prince William) of Kate and her three kids on Mother's Day:
On top of people noticing that Kate's not wearing her wedding ring, William and Kate are accused of photoshopping Princess Charlotte's arm:
Things then take a particularly strange turn when multiple photo agencies recall the photo:
An AP spokesperson releases a statement to The Telegraph, explaining “The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”
March 11, 2024
Kate issues a statement apologizing for altering the image:
She's then seen in a photo driving with Prince William. Note: this photo was published by the British press, while the photo of her in a car on March 4 was not. Read into that how you will!
March 12, 2024
Amid fans speculating about yet more photoshop, Goff Photos (the agency who distributed the pic of Kate Middleton and Prince William driving) release a statement to multiple outlets saying the "image has been cropped and lightened, nothing has been doctored."
March 13, 2024
A source tells Us Weekly that Kate won't be sharing details of her surgery anytime soon.
"Whatever the reason for the operation was, it’s of a personal nature, and Kate wants to keep the details as private as possible," the source says. "Perhaps when she’s feeling up to it, she may reveal more, but she’s not making any promises."
They add, "Kate’s said she feels she’s entitled to heal and recuperate without all of this frenzied speculation. Neither Kate nor William think her medical records should be for public consumption. She’s trying not to pay attention to all the rumors and gossip, and William is doing his best to shield her, but it’s distressing. This has been a stressful time for William and Kate, but they’re made of tough stuff and are weathering through."
Meanwhile, "There’s an unsettling feeling that things are crumbling within the monarchy. William is under tremendous pressure to keep things afloat."
Another insider notes that "A few of Kate’s senior staffers haven’t been able to see or speak to her, and they didn’t even know about the surgery until it was announced, so it’s caught them off guard. Only a few people know what’s really going on, and they’re tight-lipped."
Aside from a few visitors Kate's covered by a "shroud of secrecy" which is apparently "confusing and causing some concern."
March 18, 2024
According to The Sun, locals saw Kate looking "happy, relaxed, and healthy" on a visit to a farm shop with Prince William over the weekend. This is the first time Kate’s been in public since her surgery on January 16, 2024.
TMZ also dropped pics of Kate and William looking "happy" and "healthy" in a new video taken by an onlooker. Check 'em out over here.
***
This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.
