The Princess of Wales has not been seen in public since Christmas Day, with Kensington Palace announcing mid-January that she had undergone abdominal surgery, requiring an extended absence from royal duties while she was in recovery.
The provisional time frame of "after Easter" was first given for Kate's expected return to official appearances, meaning she would miss several high-profile events marking the start of the new year.
While the palace's time frame was made clear in its first statement about the princess' condition, the cause for the surgery was not revealed. No further updates would be given unless there was "significant" new information to share, the statement added.
In the two months since her last appearance, there has been growing social media and press discourse about Kate, where she is and how she is doing. This has included conspiracy theories, conjecture and misinformation.
Here, Newsweek looks at everything we know for sure about Kate's health, as Kensington Palace has relayed it.
Planned Abdominal Surgery
After an unusual period of absence at the start of January 2024 (usually a busy time for working members of the royal family), Kensington Palace announced on January 17 that the Princess of Wales had undergone "planned" surgery on her abdomen a day earlier at The London Clinic.
The cause of the surgery and the name of the surgeon was not revealed. The palace outlined that the procedure had been "successful" and Kate was expected to stay under supervision at the hospital for up to two weeks.
The palace's statement said that Kate was not expected to return to public duties until after Easter, which this year falls on Sunday March 31.
They also stated that the princess' "wish" was for her personal medical information to remain "private."
Statement Kensington Palace - January 17, 2024
"Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to The London Clinic yesterday for planned abdominal surgery. The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.
"The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate. She hopes that the public will understand her 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 Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements. She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible."
Making Good Progress
After 14 days in hospital, Kate was discharged on January 29, with Kensington Palace announcing that she had gone to continue her recovery at the Wales family home in Windsor.
In 2022, Kate and Prince William moved with their three children to Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The cottage sits within the protected security parameter of the castle's great park and is therefore inaccessible to the public and photographers, making it an ideally private setting.
The palace also stated that Kate continued to be "making good progress" and passed on thanks to her medical team and to well-wishers.
Statement Kensington Palace - January 29, 2024
"The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress.
"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 Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world."
Well But No 'Running Commentary'
On February 27, speculation about Kate's health and recovery arose on social media after Prince William canceled his scheduled appearance at a memorial service for his godfather, King Constantine II of Greece, citing a "personal reason."
The palace declined requests to elaborate but was prompted to double down on its previous position that Kate was continuing to do well. It reiterated that no "running commentary" on the princess would be provided.
With this, it is understood that the "after Easter" estimate for Kate's potential return to public life is still in place, meaning she is not expected to be seen for at least another month.
Kensington Palace to Newsweek- February 29, 2024
"As we have been clear since our initial statement in January, we shall not be providing a running commentary or providing daily updates."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
