- Duchess Kate has not been seen in public since Christmas.
- Kensington Palace announced that she had abdominal surgery scheduled for January.
- The palace says it will recover until after Easter, but social media users are skeptical.
Duchess Kate has disappeared from public view in recent months.
Kensington Palace previously announced that the Princess of Wales underwent “planned abdominal surgery” in January and is still recovering.
But in her continued absence, royal watchers have taken to social media to question her whereabouts and online health. But the palace said she was feeling well as of Tuesday.
Here's everything we know so far.
Duchess Kate's last public appearance was at Christmas.
Duchess Kate joined the royal family on their annual walk from Sandringham, Norfolk, to attend church services over Christmas.
As always, the Princess of Wales walked with her children and husband to St. Mary Magdalene Church wearing one of her signature coat dresses.
On January 17, Kensington Palace announced that Duchess Kate was in hospital for “planned abdominal surgery”.
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Kensington Palace said in a statement that Duchess Kate will remain at a London clinic for up to two weeks following her surgery.
“Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for scheduled abdominal surgery,” the statement said. She said: “The surgery was successful and she will remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days before being sent home to continue her recovery. Based on current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to duty until after Easter. It is low.”
Kensington Palace has not provided additional information about what kind of surgery Kate underwent, but the palace told The Associated Press that the princess is cancer-free.
The statement also said Duchess Kate “wants her personal medical information to remain private” to provide “normality” for her children.
“Kensington Palace will therefore only provide updates on His Royal Highness' progress if there is significant new information to share,” the statement continued.
The next day, William was photographed visiting Kate in hospital.
Kensington Palace announced that Duchess Kate returned to Windsor Castle on January 29th.
A statement shared on Instagram said: “The Princess of Wales has returned to her home in Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery.” “She's making good progress.”
In a statement, Prince William and Duchess Kate thanked the staff at the London Clinic and those who sent well wishes.
On the same day, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would be returning home after undergoing surgery for enlarged prostate.
Buckingham Palace announced on February 5th that King Charles is suffering from cancer.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that “additional concerns were raised” during the king's prostate surgery and further tests revealed he had cancer. The palace has not disclosed what type of cancer he was diagnosed with, but says it was not prostate cancer.
The statement also said the king has “begun a regular medical schedule” and will continue to work from home, but will “postpone official duties” on the advice of his doctors.
The palace did not say how long the king would refrain from official duties.
“His Majesty has chosen to make his diagnosis public to avoid speculation and in the hope that it will help the public understand the lives of people around the world affected by cancer,” the statement said.
Prince William returned to royal duties on February 7th.
Prince William took a break from royal duties while Duchess Kate underwent surgery and recovered, and returned to work ahead of her investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on February 7.
On the same day, he attended a gala to raise money for the London Air Ambulance and thanked the public for their messages of support for Kate, Town and Country newspaper reported.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Kate Middleton and my father for their kind messages of support, especially in recent days,” she said, adding: “It means a lot to all of us.” ”
Since then, he has attended several public events. Experts told BI that the public will focus on Prince William during Charles and Duchess Kate's absence, as he represents the future of the monarchy as heir to the throne.
“It's an opportunity for him to communicate on behalf of the royal family.” Eric Schiffersaid the chairman of Reputation Management Consultants.
Additionally, the public generally responds favorably to young royals. Royal watcher Kristen Meisner told BI that Prince William's youth could be a boon for the royal family if it weren't for not only Duchess Kate, but also Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
“The things they focus on most about the royal family are things like when they reach courtship age, when they get married, when they have children,” she said. “When they're 60 or 70 or whatever, people don't necessarily think of them as dazzling or exciting.”
Duchess Kate left for Norfolk on February 9 to continue her recovery.
On February 9, the Daily Mail reported that Duchess Kate had joined her family at their home in Sandringham. Anmer Hall was while her children were on half term holiday.
The same media also reported at the time that her recovery was progressing well.
Duchess Kate was not photographed during her trip from Windsor to Sandringham.
King Charles has been photographed several times throughout February, but Duchess Kate has not been seen.
Although King Charles does not hold any official duties, he has been photographed several times since he was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment.
On February 11, he and Queen Camilla were seen attending church in Sandringham, and on February 21, he was photographed meeting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace.
Meanwhile, Kensington Palace did not release any photos or videos of the Duchess Kate, and she remained absent.
William released a rare solo statement on February 20th.
Prince William and Duchess Kate have typically made statements as a pair since their marriage.
But on February 20th, Kensington Palace issued a statement Speaking only on behalf of Mr William regarding the Gaza conflict, he said: “We remain deeply concerned about the human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.”
“Like many others, I want the fighting to end as soon as possible,” he said in a statement. “Strengthening humanitarian assistance to Gaza is desperately needed.”
Mr William also said: “I remain hopeful that a brighter future can be found and I have no intention of giving up on that.”
In addition to speaking only for Prince William, the statement featured a “W” sticker at the top, rather than the crown as seen in messages from the Prince and Princess of Wales.
William was absent from Tuesday's Thanksgiving service due to undisclosed personal circumstances.
On Tuesday, members of the royal family attended a thanksgiving service for King Constantine of Greece, another cousin and close friend of King Charles. He was one of William's godfathers.
Kensington Palace told Business Insider that Prince William was scheduled to attend the ceremony with Queen Camilla and other family members, but was absent due to personal reasons.
A palace representative also told BI that Kate was feeling well, but did not elaborate on why Prince William was absent from the event.
Kate's absence sparked conversation on social media about her prolonged absence from public life, with users speculating about why she hasn't been seen in months. . Her princess has been trending on X and thousands of people have posted about her on TikTok. “Kate Middleton” was also No. 6 on Google's list of trending search terms on Tuesday, underscoring how much public interest in her has been in her absence.
Kensington Palace reiterated that Duchess Kate is “doing well” as Prince William returned to royal duties on Thursday.
Prince William resumed his royal duties on Thursday, visiting the Western Marble Arch Synagogue to learn about the Holocaust Educational Trust, as shared by Kensington Palace on Instagram.
He spoke with Holocaust survivor Lenny Salt. During the conversation, he spoke on behalf of himself and Kate: Reported by Rebecca English, royal editor of the Daily Mail. With X.
“Catherine and I are both very concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism,” he told Salt, according to the English News Agency. “That's why I'm here today to reassure everyone that people care and are listening and that we can't just let it go.”
Kensington Palace also reiterated in a statement sent to BI on Thursday that Kate is “doing well.”
“Two days ago we gave guidance that the Princess of Wales remained in good health,” it said in a statement. “As we have made clear since our initial statement in January, we do not intend to provide running commentary or provide daily updates.”
As of Thursday, Kensington Palace had not released any new photos or videos of the princess.