Why So Many People Think Kate Middleton Is Missing—or Possibly Dead

In January, the British royal family’s Kensington Palace announced that Catherine, the Princess of Wales—more commonly known as Kate Middleton—had been hospitalized for an abdominal surgery and would take a break from her public duties until Easter. Then, she kind of … disappeared. In an unlikely turn of events for the uber-photographed royal, Kate has not been seen nor heard from in the month or so since the surgery.

The simplest explanation for this is that all is going according to plan: She’s still recovering at home. Makes some sense! But because these are the royals, her absence from the spotlight has also given rise to a rash of speculation that something else may be going on. The internet, in short, has decided that Kate is missing, and it has concocted some batty conspiracy theories about it.

Is it all just fun and games, or is there any real reason to doubt the official narrative? Read on if you’re the type of sicko who needs to know.

Why was Kate in the hospital in the first place?

Kensington Palace was not very forthcoming about Kate’s illness, sharing only that it was a “planned abdominal surgery,” that she would be in the hospital for 10 to 14 days, and that she would recover at home for three months after that. In the initial statement put out by the palace, she asked for privacy: “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.” The statement continued that it would “only provide updates on Her Royal Highness’ progress when there is significant new information to share.”

What’s the big deal if it was just a planned surgery?

A good amount of reporting around the surgery has called into question whether it was actually planned, suggesting that it instead came as quite a surprise to royal circles. There was also some chatter about conflicting information—if the surgery was planned, for example, what should be made of the reports that came out prior to the surgery about how Prince William and Kate were planning a trip to Italy in the early part of the year? Many have also noted that it’s unusual that Kate hasn’t been photographed since all of this began—not even a quick snap of her leaving the hospital. We’re talking about a woman who famously stepped out for photographs with immaculate hair and makeup mere hours after giving birth, so it is a little strange that she’s been out of the spotlight for so long.

And there doesn’t seem to be much concrete information about her absence, though, right?

Given the nature of the British press’s relationship to the royal family, coverage of Kate’s illness has been relatively subdued, and where journalists seem to be keeping mum, social media has taken up the mantle of speculating. While the press no doubt has caused many headaches for the royal family over the years, the monarchy remains a powerful institution of which many journalists seem wary of running afoul, especially in moments of poor health. In an episode of the ITV News podcast The Royal Rota from earlier this month, for example, one can hear the hosts being very careful about what they say: “There’s been lots of discussion about Why would you need to spend 14 nights in hospital—what is the issue? and all the rest of it,” said royal editor Chris Ship. “We’ve been asked that she wants to keep her medical records private. That is therefore her decision and her choice, and she’s got every right to do that. No one’s job is therefore to speculate. But I think most people will agree it is very unusual to be in a hospital, a private hospital even, for that amount of time.” In other words, yes, it was weird, but that was really all they could say about it. And at times when some outlets have significantly diverged from the palace’s narrative, as happened when a Spanish news program claimed that Kate was in a coma, the palace has been successful in tamping down those stories before they gained much traction.

Where’s William been in all this?

The prince took a couple weeks off during Kate’s hospital stay but resumed work, showing up at the royal engagements like the BAFTAs solo. He raised some suspicion when he issued a statement last week about the conflict in the Middle East with what appeared to be his personal letterhead at the top rather than the joint Kensington Palace one he usually uses (yes, for real). But that was nothing compared with what happened this week, when he canceled a last-minute appearance at a major memorial service. William had been set to attend the memorial for King Constantine of Greece on Tuesday but pulled out right before, citing a “personal matter.” The king was the prince’s godfather, and William was scheduled to give a reading at the service. Kensington Palace didn’t elaborate further or confirm that William’s change of plans had anything to do with Kate’s illness, but aides told several news sources in the aftermath that Kate “continues to be doing well.”

So that’s why the chatter is at a fever pitch now?

Pretty much. Though there have been theories online for weeks about Kate, it’s really gone into overdrive on social media in the past few days.

All right, let’s hear these wild theories.

With the caveat that much of this is baseless gossip and there’s a strong argument that we shouldn’t be talking about any of this at all, let’s get to it. The theories, circulating mostly on sites like Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok, range from the very serious to the very silly.

On the serious end, there’s talk that Kate’s health is much worse than official statements are letting on. Some have suggested she might be dealing with a mental health issue or eating disorder. There’s talk that her marriage is troubled and that she is actually recovering from domestic violence injuries. Or maybe the marriage trouble is that Kate left William. Or the family wants him to divorce her before he becomes king. Take your pick! Mix and match! I’m not sure if this qualifies as silly or serious, but there are even some people who think she’s dead—I wish I could share the Weekend at Bernie’s meme I swear I saw, but it’s sadly now lost in the ether. Or, if Kate’s not dead, she could merely be missing, as in no one knows where she is. On the lighter side of things, plastic surgery has been a big topic of speculation and would explain why she might not want to be seen. Despite all the jokes that she’s getting a Brazilian butt lift, or BBL, a more subtle procedure is certainly within the realm of possibility.

Thank you for telling me/I hate you. Last thing: Isn’t Charles sick too?

Yes, the king was hospitalized around the same time as Kate in January and, soon after, it was announced that he has cancer. Though Buckingham Palace didn’t share what kind of cancer, Charles has been photographed since the announcement and is now in treatment. Many have contrasted how open he’s been about his health with how Kate’s situation is being handled. But with Charles out of commission, Kate out of commission, and William at Kate’s side, there does seem to be a bit of a power vacuum in the monarchy. A chance for Harry and Meghan to swoop back in? Unlikely, though Harry did briefly visit Charles recently. The only person sitting pretty, the person arguably benefiting most from all of this, looks to be Queen Camilla. Hmm—has anyone at Buckingham Palace seen Saltburn?