Kensington Palace is shutting down conspiracy theories regarding Kate Middleton’s health as the Princess of Wales continues recovering from last month’s abdominal surgery.
The previously scheduled procedure was announced in tandem with Buckingham Palace revealing King Charles would also be hospitalized for an enlarged prostate. The royals were treated at The London Clinic at the same time, just ahead of the monarch, 75, announcing he’d been diagnosed with an unrelated cancer.
But while Charles has since been seen attending church with Queen Camilla and strolling the grounds of their Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, the princess has not been seen since the royal family’s annual Christmas outing.
That, along with a lack of updates on her condition, prompted a flurry of online speculation and conspiracies, including a theory that Kate was in a coma due to complications.
“We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter and Kensington Palace would only be providing updates when something was significant,” a spokesperson said Thursday, per People, noting the 42-year-old is “doing well.”
The palace announced on Jan. 17 that the princess had undergone the “successful” surgery the previous day and would remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days before recovering at home.
“Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,” the palace said at the time.
While Kensington acknowledged the “interest this statement will generate,” the palace expressed Middleton’s “desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”
“Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share,” the statement added.
Much of the speculation about Middleton’s well-being followed Prince William unexpectedly pulling out of Tuesday’s memorial for his late godfather, King Constantine of Greece, for reported personal reasons. A royal source said that day that the princess “continues to be doing well,” but that didn’t stop the internet’s wheels from turning.
Hours after the memorial service, which King Charles also missed, news broke that the royal family suffered a major loss with the sudden death of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston — Charles’ second cousin and goddaughter to Constantine. Lady Gabriella, 42, is the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
The financier, 45, was found dead Sunday at a property in Gloucestershire. His cause of death is under investigation, but it’s not believed to involve suspicious circumstances, CNN reported.
