Kate Middleton: timeline and theories about what's going on with her

The full rundown of the news and controversy surrounding the Princess of Wales in recent months.

By Mercedes Romero Sabaini

When a smiling Kate Middleton made her way to church with her family on Christmas Day, few could have predicted that this would be the last 'normal' moment the Princess would be in the spotlight any time soon.

After announcing that she would undergo "scheduled abdominal surgery" in mid-January, Middleton has suddenly become the subject of some of the most widespread conspiracy theories of recent times: speculation about both her health and her true whereabouts.

It came to a head on 11 March, when Kensington Palace published a doctored photograph of the Welsh family for Mother's Day, which was later retracted by the Associated Press and other news services. The princess later apologised for the possible "confusion" arising from the editing of the image.

These were the news and controversies surrounding the Princess of Wales in recent months:

25 December 2023: Kate's last royal engagement

On Christmas Day, the Princess of Wales attended the British Royal Family's annual church service at Sandringham. Hand in hand with her children and wearing a cobalt blue Alexander McQueen dress, everything seemed perfect. No one suspected that this would be the last time they would see the princess for several months.

17 January 2024: Kensington Palace announces Kate Middleton's abdominal operation

A few weeks later, Kensington Palace issued a statement saying that the Princess of Wales had been admitted to hospital the day before to undergo "abdominal surgery". On medical advice, she would not return to his public duties until Easter. The statement asked for privacy: "The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate, and hopes that the public understands her desire to maintain as much normality as possible for her children," a Kensington Palace representative wrote.

17 January 2024: Buckingham Palace announces that King Charles is seeking treatment for his enlarged prostate.

Within hours of Kate Middleton's medical news, King Charles announced one of his own: he was seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate. The difference between the two statements from the British Royal Family was striking: King Charles was much more specific about his illness.

29 January 2024: Princess of Wales returns from hospital

At the end of January, news spread that the Princess of Wales was returning to Windsor after her time at the London clinic. Unlike her father-in-law, who was photographed leaving the hospital, there are no images of Kate leaving the hospital, underlining her desire for privacy.

5 February 2024: King Charles announces he has cancer

A week later, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles was receiving treatment for cancer. "He is very optimistic about his treatment and hopes to return fully to his public duties as soon as possible," the statement said. They also revealed why they had decided to go public: "Her Majesty has chosen to share her diagnosis to avoid speculation and in the hope of encouraging public understanding of all those affected by cancer," Buckingham Palace said. Since then, the king has made occasional public appearances, such as the meeting with the ambassadors of Algeria and Mauritania at Buckingham Palace on 6 March.

27 February 2024: Prince William retires from a memorial service for his godfather

In late February, Prince William announced that he would be unable to attend a memorial service for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, due to personal reasons. Although anonymous sources in the Royal Household told media outlets such as CNN that there was no link between this cancellation and the princess's health, theories ran wild.

29 February 2024: Kensington Palace reiterates original statement

After 48 hours of internet speculation, Kensington Palace confirmed their original statement to People magazine: "We have said clearly from the outset that the Princess of Wales would be away until after Easter and that Kensington Palace would only give news about it if something significant happened", they said. They added that the Princess "was fine".

4 March 2024: Paparazzi catch Princess of Wales driving around Windsor

On 4 March, the tabloid TMZ published blurred paparazzi photos of the Princess and her mother driving an Audi around Windsor Castle. The British press refrained from sharing the images in order to respect the Princess's privacy.

10 March 2024: The Prince and Princess of Wales release a photo for Mother's Day

To mark Mother's Day in the UK, Prince William and Kate Middleton posted a photograph of the Princess, along with her three children, on their social media accounts. According to the Palace, it was taken by William last week at Windsor.

At first it seemed like a clear refutation of the conspiracy theories. But last Sunday night the Associated Press issued a "kill order". "Upon close examination, it appears that the source has manipulated the image," AP said in its statement. "We will not be sending a replacement photo". The photo had indeed been manipulated.

11 March 2024: Kate Middleton issues personal apology on social media

The following morning, the princess tried to explain the mishap on the family's official accounts: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C".

But the damage had already been done: the photo had been removed from several television stations and media outlets such as The New York Times had decided not to publish it. With all this, the credibility of the royal family was shaken, and rumours about the princess's state of health have been on the rise.

*This article was originally published on Canal C.