Kate Middleton's 'Cloak and Dagger' Behavior Surrounding Surgery Fuels Online Conspiracy Theories

Kate Middleton became a trending topic on social media when she was spotted for the first time since her surgery on Monday, March 4, alongside her mom, Carole Middleton. The public sighting occurred just days after conspiracy theories spread on Twitter alongside the hashtag "Where is Kate?"

"She was trying to sneak out of Windsor with her mother and was clearly not pleased that they had been spotted by a photographer," biographer Christopher Andersen told an outlet. "This cloak-and-dagger stuff is only going to fuel more speculation about what's really going on with Kate and with her father-in-law, King Charles."

The Princess of Wales revealed very little about her operation, and she isn't expected to return to her public life until the spring.

Shortly after seeing the commentary about Kate's whereabouts, a rep for the mom-of-three quickly shook off any ongoing assertions.

"In its typically smug fashion, the palace issued a statement last week insisting that everything was going according to plan," the commentator continued. "They never explained, however, why Kate spent weeks in the hospital after ‘planned abdominal surgery’ and has needed to remain closeted away for months."

"It's all been terribly fishy from the get-go," he added.

In previous years, members of the royal family made appearances while dealing with personal health challenges.

"Keep in mind that members of the royal family in particular are famous for getting out there [and] keeping up appearances no matter what," Andersen explained. "Queen Elizabeth never spent months recovering from an illness, and over the course of her 70-year reign, she dealt with a number of serious medical issues. So, the mystery surrounding Kate's surgery and what it was for deepens."

Prince William has attended events without his wife by his side in recent weeks, and the Prince of Princess of Wales' Instagram account hasn't posted an image of Kate since December of 2023, prompting people to only speculate more about what's really going on.

"Even if she is determined to keep such things private, it wouldn't have hurt for the Princess of Wales to pop her head above the parapet every now and then. It may be too late now," the journalist shared. "Even if she hits the ground running after Easter, which was the original plan, people are still going to wonder about whether her absence from the public eye was due to a serious medical problem, emotional exhaustion or a combination of both."

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While the Princess of Wales focuses on her recovery period, William will juggle royal duties while caring for Kate and their three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

"It may also be that her medical problem, whatever it is, gave her a new appreciation of what she regards as truly important in life – spending time at home with her children," he shared. "Kate really is such a pro at handling the press and the public, for her to remain out of sight like this really has to make one wonder: What in God's name is going on?"