As of March 22, 2024, it had been 88 days since Kate Middleton had been seen. During this time of absence, Kensington Palace released statements and photos that made the public suspicious and worried for the Princess of Wales’s safety. This led to countless conspiracy theories ranging from very odd to some that seemed possible.
Before discussing each conspiracy, it’s important to understand the reasons people felt something happened to Kate Middleton. In mid-January, Kensington Palace released a statement saying that she underwent a planned abdominal surgery but wouldn’t explain the reason. Then Prince William canceled appearances, making the public more worried.
Previously, when going through medical procedures like giving birth to her three children, the Princess had been seen leaving the hospital the day of, all dressed up, smiling, and waving. So, when she was not seen for a while, people assumed it was even more serious. Kensington Palace tried to calm everyone’s worries by releasing statements saying she was doing well and that it was “not cancerous.”
The palace released a photo of the Princess of Wales smiling with her children in honor of Mother’s Day in the UK. It was soon proven by multiple photo agencies that it had been manipulated. The Prince and Princess released an apology saying that Kate was sorry for messing up. She said, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”
None of the efforts to stop the worry worked and more people began to join the call for her to make an appearance. Social media began to spread conspiracy theories that spread to talk shows like the Andy Cohen Show and news outlets across the world. As an English immigrant, Charlotte Heads enjoys keeping up with funny news about the royal family, so when this happened she enjoyed looking at all the crazy conspiracy theories people came up with.
Plastic Surgery:
One of the conspiracy theories is that she got plastic surgery, more specifically a Brazilian butt lift (BBL). This gave reason to why she was not seen for so long, because when someone has a procedure like that it requires a long recovery time. That surgery also shares the general region of the body in which she got the surgery.
Although this theory might seem crazy, it isn’t uncommon for people in the public eye to get cosmetic surgery. In the last five years, the popularity of plastic surgery has risen. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that “26.2 million procedures, showcasing a 19 percent increase in cosmetic surgery procedures since 2019.” A large part of that number is celebrities.
Repeating Diana’s Story:
One of the most infamous stories about the royal family surrounds the late Princess Diana. She was married to the now King Charles III, who is the father-in-law of Kate Middleton. She was one of the most loved royal family members. During and after their marriage ended, Princess Diana was very vocal about the struggles she faced, including confirming rumors of affairs Charles had with Camilla Parker Bowles, which put a bad light on the royal family.
In August 1997, Diana died in a car crash in Paris. Her being so vocal about the royals’ faults led people to spread conspiracies that she was killed on purpose, which added flame to the fire when Charles and Camilla married soon after.
However, not as publicly discussed just like Charles and Camilla, there is still a rumored affair between Prince Willam and Rose Handbur, Marchioness of Cholmondeley who is a former model and former political staffer. Considering the parallels between the life and marriages of Kate and Diana, when Kate disappeared people thought the worst could have repeated itself. English immigrant, Charlotte Heads said she saw the probability of this conspiracy being true “due to how corrupt the family is.”
Haircut Theory:
One of the more lighthearted theories is that Kate simply got a bad haircut. As a public figure, maybe she didn’t want people to see her with a bowl cut. So she went into hiding till she no longer had the same cut.
Willa Wonka Experience:
During the same time Kate was absent; a video of an event called the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience went viral. This was an event inspired by the Wonka movie starring Timothee Chalamet. The event cost around $50 a ticket, so people expected it to be done a lot better than what was given. According to Vox, it was actually “a warehouse with one bouncy house, plastic decorations, and bad actors.” Many videos were shared of children leaving sobbing.
What seems to have nothing to do with the royal family and their life somehow then got made into a theory that combined the two. People said that Kate must have left her royal duties to go play a character in this event.
Truth of Kate Middleton’s Silence:
On March 22, 2024, Kate Middleton finally broke her silence and released a video response to the rumors. She stated that after the abdominal surgery, doctors discovered cancer while doing follow-up tests. She didn’t know what kind of cancer it was. She also said that as of now, she is in the early stages of preventive chemotherapy.
Conspiracies seem to be continuing over whether the cancer is real or not. People analyzed the video of her picking apart the way her mouth moved, how her hands were placed, the weather conditions, and the absence of Prince William. Heads said that this could be harmful but “doubt that it’ll affect the family though, there’s been much worse said about them.”
Hopefully, with the situation that unfolded with Kate, people will think twice before spreading conspiracy theories all over social media. Senior Sarah McKendall said that, “People who spread conspiracy as fact should learn from this situation that can do serious harm.” Nobody fully knows what anyone else is going through, so it can be damaging to spread misinformation.