"I know where Kate Middleton is": Conspiracy theories emerge around Princess of Wales as Prince William cancels royal duty over "personal matter"

Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, underwent abdominal surgery on January 16 and has since been missing from the public eye. She was last seen in the Christmas mass in Sandringham on December 25, 2023, and was reportedly hospitalized for two weeks following her abdominal surgery.

On January 17, Kensington Palace released a statement that Kate Middleton is not expected to resume her royal duties till Easter and is currently recuperating at her residence in Windsor.

But the Princess's extended absence set the rumor mill ablaze on social media. After Prince William canceled his appearance at a memorial for his late godfather, King Constantine II of Greece, due to a "personal matter," conspiracy theories about the Princess and her well-being floated on social media, with several people trolling,

"I know where Kate Middleton is."

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Netizens react to the conspiracy theories about Kate Middleton's absence

Kate Middleton was officially last seen on the time-honored Christmas walk to Sandringham with her husband and children, shortly after which Kensington Palace announced her abdominal surgery. After being hospitalized for two weeks and expected to recover in three months, Middleton's well-being became the central topic of discussion on social media.

This, coupled with the fact that no pictures were released of Middleton entering or exiting The London Clinic, where she had surgery, led to people postulating about the Princess's "mysterious" disappearance. Here are some of their reactions from X:

One conspiracy theory that ran amok was Spanish journalist Concha Calleja claiming that a reliable palace source informed her that the Princess endured "serious complications" during her "post-operative period," which resulted in her in an induced coma.

These allegations, made by the journalist on the Spanish news channel Fiesta on January 28, were immediately rebuked by the Palace. A palace source confirmed to The Telegraph that the allegations were not fact-checked, adding,

“It’s total nonsense. 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.”

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Kate Middleton "continues to be doing well," states Kensington Palace

According to E! News, Kensington Palace released a statement to NBC News on February 27, saying,

"Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, continues to be doing well."

This came after Prince William canceled a scheduled appearance at King Constantine II of Greece's memorial for a "personal matter."

According to BBC, no details were revealed, although palace sources have shown no cause for alarm.

Following Kate Middleton's surgery, Prince William returned from his royal duties to care for his wife and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. However, the Prince of Wales had to shoulder the brunt of royal responsibilities after King Charles's cancer diagnosis earlier in February.

Speaking to E! News on February 6, royal correspondent Sharon Carpenter said that the Prince will step up in his father's place "if needed."

She continued,

"We expect to see Prince William, if needed, obviously step up on behalf of his father when it comes to certain engagements."

She also claimed that the senior working members of the royal family were left shorthanded, with both Kate Middleton and King Charles out of commission and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle estranged from the family.