Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has been absent from public view since December, prompting speculation among social media users about the UK royal. According to Kensington Palace, the 42-year-old is recuperating at home following “planned abdominal surgery” in January, but some users speculate that the royal is in an “induced coma”. Amidst the speculation, senior staff members of the royal are unaware of her post-recovery progress. Some staffers stated that she was nowhere to be seen.
“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,” a source told Us Weekly.
According to the New York Post, some of them were unaware of the surgery until it was announced by Kensington Palace. “Only a few people know what’s really going on, and they’re tight-lipped. It’s confusing and causing some concern,” they continued.
A “shroud of secrecy” envelops Ms. Middleton, the report elaborated, noting that the sole visitors have been the cancer-stricken King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla. It further mentioned that the palace is maintaining “very hush-hush” about the royal’s post-op recuperation.
“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 rumours and gossip, and William is doing his best to shield her, but it’s distressing,” they added.
Meanwhile, a controversy arose after the Princess of Wales shared a family snapshot of herself with her children on Mother’s Day. The photo was retracted by news agencies after it was discovered to have been “manipulated”. The princess later apologised, saying, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.”
The 42-year-old was reportedly “very sad” that a joyful family photo had triggered such an uproar.
However, the incident sparked a fresh wave of conspiracy theories surrounding the British royal, dubbed “Katespiracy” online. Many individuals were also interested in whether British royals had ever altered photographs, and media outlets like CNN declared their intention to review all the handout photos previously supplied by Kensington Palace.