Kate Middleton 'Missing': What the Palace Has Said

Kate Middleton has stepped out of the public eye for two months as she recovers from abdominal surgery, and many on social media are asking why there have been no photographs of her.

The Princess of Wales was last seen in public on Christmas Day, walking to church at Sandringham before she went in for surgery at the London Clinic on January 16.

The palace announced the following day that she would be stepping back from her royal duties to recuperate, spending up to two weeks in the hospital before returning to public duties only after Easter at the earliest.

On January 17, Kensington Palace said: "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," it said.

Kate was discharged from the hospital without being seen by photographers and went from Windsor Castle to Sandringham House in Norfolk for a half-term holiday and back, all without being pictured.

On January 29, the palace said: "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," the palace said.

The absence of any photographs of the princess has sent a host of web sleuths—including some not normally interested in the royals—investigating.

Then, Prince William canceled a planned reading on Tuesday at his godfather's memorial service at Windsor Castle, with Kensington Palace saying only that it was due to a personal matter.

The palace did provide a further update on Kate's recovery, saying she was continuing to do well.

Multiple posts on X (formerly Twitter) went viral, with people expressing how fascinated they had become with the absence of any images of the princess.

Bestselling author Laura Pearson wrote in a post that was viewed 1 million times: "Me for 43 years: Could not care less about the royal family. Me since yesterday: Obsessed with where Kate Middleton is."

Another user joked, "What if Kate Middleton has pulled a Gone Girl?" A third wrote: "Me starting a deep dive investigation into kate middleton's whereabouts."

Another post—viewed 2.5 million times—read: "I went from responding 'I don't give a f*** about Kate Middleton' in a group text to being extremely invested in her whereabouts in about 3 minutes."

The palace told Newsweek it has always said it would not provide a running commentary.

An aide was also dismissive of a conspiracy theory, emanating from Spain, that Kate had been put into a medically induced coma, describing it to Newsweek as "ludicrous."

While social media posts took a lighthearted perspective on Kate's recovery, the palace takes the royals' privacy on health matters very seriously. The vacuum of information—and, crucially, the absence of any photo—created a vacuum in which social media conspiracy theories blew up.

Awkwardly for the palace, it could be weeks before Kate returns to her front-line duties, begging questions about whether it can wait out the whole period with no new photos.

Meanwhile, William was due to resume his public duties towards the end of the week after his personal matter on Tuesday.

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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