What started as a few light-hearted internet memes has now turned into more serious conspiracy theories about the mysterious ‘disappearance’ of a British royal. Catherine, Princess of Wales, has not been seen in public since attending a Christmas Day church service in December 2023. A photograph released by the princess earlier this week was redacted by several news agencies who said it was digitally altered – Kate admitted to editing the picture a day after it was released. The drama over the photoshopped picture has only added to the already frenzied discourse on the whereabouts of Kate Middleton.
Here is a complete timeline of Kate Middleton’s ‘disappearance’ from the public eye, and an overview of the theories, memes and frenzy it has generated:
Christmas Day 2023: Kate was last seen in public
Kate Middleton made her last official appearance in December 2023, when she attended Christmas services at St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham with her husband, Prince William, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
January 17, 2024: Announcement about Kate’s surgery
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The British royal would remain hospitalised for 10 to 14 days before returning home to continue her official duties, the statement added. However, fans of the royals were quick to notice that Prince William was spotted only once at the hospital visiting Kate while she recovered from surgery – a fact that added fuel to the already-burning fire of conspiracy theories.
January 29: Kate returns home
“The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress,” the Kensington Palace said in a new statement on January 29.
"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 statement continued. "The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world."
February 29: The palace reiterates its timeline for Kate’s recovery
After a month with no sight of Kate, media interest in the story had grown significantly. Meanwhile, social media had exploded with conspiracy theories – ranging from plausible to downright bizarre.
On February 29, the palace pushed back against rumours and reiterated its timeline for Kate’s recovery. “Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands,” a spokesperson told news outlets, including NBC News.
March 4: TMZ published paparazzi photographs of Kate – or someone resembling her
pic.twitter.com/suxnT9Z564— media (@ENTplus_) March 4, 2024
On March 4, several American news channels published photographs of Kate Middleton in the passenger seat of an SUV near Windsor Castle. The grainy photograph showed Kate – or at least someone resembling her – in the seat of a car being driven by her mother, Carole. The photograph marked the first time in over two months that the Princess of Wales was seen in public, and it naturally created a buzz online.
However, many British news outlets refused to publish the paparazzi shots. “There are pap picture of the Princess of Wales. We are not running them out of respect for her privacy whilst she recovers from her operation in the timescale we were given for it,” ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship tweeted. “As far as I know, no other UK broadcaster or newspaper has published the photos either,” he added.
March 5: Much ado over June appearance
The British Army posted, the deleted, its claim that Kate would attend Trooping the Colour. Kensington Palace said that Kate’s appearance at this year’s Trooping the Colour on June 8 had not yet been confirmed.
The fact that the palace could not confirm Kate’s presence for an official event months away again led to much speculation about why Kate has disappeared from the public eye.
March 10: Kate’s official return to Instagram
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The 42-year-old princess, whose husband Prince William is heir to the British throne, released a photograph on Mother’s Day. The photo released by Kensington Palace to mark Mother's Day in Britain shows the smiling Princess of Wales sitting on a garden chair, dressed in jeans, a sweater and a dark jacket, surrounded by her three laughing children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," read a message accompanying the photo on the social media platform X. "Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day," said the message, which was signed "C" for Catherine.
In a statement the palace said the photo was taken "in Windsor earlier this week" by Kate's husband, Prince William.
March 11: News agencies withdraw the picture
Several leading outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters, Getty and Britain's domestic Press Association decided to "kill" the image, withdrawing it from distribution to clients, claiming that it was digitally altered.
Analysis of the Mother's Day image, released on Sunday by Kate's Kensington Palace office, highlighted "several inconsistencies in alignments", AFP said. These inconsistencies included a missing part of Princess Charlotte's sleeve, misalignment of Kate's zip and more.
March 11: Kate admits to editing picture
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote in an Instagram Story. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."
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