Kensington Palace released a statement on Thursday to address the persistent allegations surrounding the Princess of Wales’ absence from public engagements, which have given rise to wild conjecture and conspiracy theories.
“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 representative for Princess Kate said. The 42-year-old princess is “doing well,” they continued.
Following Prince William’s unannounced absence from his late godfather’s funeral ceremony on Tuesday, there was a spike in online worry for Princess Kate’s well-being, which gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories. This occurred in spite of the palace source’s Tuesday assurances that Kate “continues to be doing well” in her recuperation.
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“It is sensible to take the time,” a person close to the royal household told PEOPLE. “That is a great example to the rest of us,” they said, adding that it can be harmful to always return to work right away. It is in everyone’s best interests to see her take her time, heal fully, and then return. From that, all of us can learn.
Early in February, a source told the Daily Mail that Catherine was healing nicely. “She was looking forward to a change of scene and will be able to take it easy in Norfolk while the children let off steam with William,” the statement continued. Princess Kate wants “that her personal medical information remains private,” according to the palace, which stated as much in their statement of her surgery on January 17, the day after the treatment.
As per Harper’s BAZAAR:
Since her surgery, the palace has released very few statements regarding Kate’s progress. On January 29, they confirmed that she was discharged from the London Clinic and had returned home to Windsor. “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 statement read. “The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”
A more recent update arrived on February 27, when a source close to the family told Bazaar that Kate’s recovery was still going well.
The princess’s absence has sparked an uproar online, with users across X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) and TikTok developing conspiracies to explain her uncharacteristic absence from public life. These unsubstantiated claims have ranged from jokes about her working at the controversial Willy Wonka pop-up in Glasgow to theories that she is in a coma.
The royal family has recently been dealing with a wide range of health problems. Concerns were expressed earlier in the week regarding King Charles III’s cancer condition being “more dangerous than we have been led to believe” as staff members were reportedly creating his succession plan. Charles revealed that he had been given a cancer diagnosis after being admitted to the hospital for a separate ailment connected to an enlarged prostate. The public is still unaware of the precise type of cancer.
