The absence of Princess of Wales Kate Middleton since undergoing surgery in January 2024 has sparked a storm of speculation and conspiracy theories on social media, even though she was seen with Prince William in a farm store near Windsor the day before yesterday, Saturday.

The British newspaper “The Sun” quoted an eyewitness as saying, “After all the rumors that were circulating around her, I was astonished to see them there. Kate was shopping with William and she seemed happy and looked in good condition. The children were not with them, but this is a good sign that she was having fun.” “Healthy enough to go to the shops.”

But it seems that this appearance did not succeed in calming the rumors, especially after the Princess of Wales’s absence from St. Patrick’s Day celebrations yesterday, Sunday, even though she had not been absent from them for years.

Middleton has preoccupied public opinion in Britain since Kensington Palace published a family photo on Mother’s Day on March 10. International news agencies were later forced to withdraw it, due to fears that it had been tampered with before the Princess later offered a public apology and admitted that she… She modified the photo.

The British Press Photographers Association issued a statement urging Kensington Palace to “make the original images available for examination, so we can assess what has been done” and “ensure this does not happen again.”

An alleged alert for a royal announcement

Since the outbreak of the image crisis, the British public has been wondering about the whereabouts of the Princess of Wales, at a time when some claim that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was notified of the need to prepare to broadcast an announcement issued by the royal family.

Popular publications on the Internet indicated that the BBC is preparing to broadcast important news about the royal family in the coming days, but the government body has not commented on the matter yet.

Contrary to custom, royal family affairs experts noticed Kensington Palace’s reaction to reports about Middleton, while it usually remains silent and prefers not to deal with rumors.

However, the palace did not respond to calls to publish the unedited version of the Mother’s Day photo, nor did it provide further information about Kate’s whereabouts.

In the latest developments, the Princess of Wales published a message on the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day, as she missed celebrating Irish National Day for the first time in years.

The couple – Kate and William – simply posted a tweet on their “X” account in which they said, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day!” With the publication of a video clip of the celebration ceremony.

In light of the uncertainty surrounding Kate’s health condition, her friends whispered that she might soon speak about her illness in an attempt to put an end to the “false” rumors.

According to the “Sunday Times”, those close to Kate and William said that the couple will reveal more information about her recovery in due course, while a source said that they are “at their most open when they interact with the public. The princess may talk about her recovery during social meetings.” “.

The British newspaper indicated that Kate should resume her royal duties by April 17.

Media professionals react to Kate’s absence

The famous British broadcaster, Piers Morgan, commented on his program “Uncensored” that he heard “worrying things,” adding, “ I was told some things, even if half of them are true, what is happening is very disturbing. I do not know what to believe, nor “None of us knows that. We’re not there. I can’t confirm what I was told is true.”

For his part, American talk show host, John Oliver, made a shocking joke about Kate Middleton, saying, “She could have died 18 months ago,” as Morgan claimed.

In his New York Post column, Oliver also wondered why the princess, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, spent time editing using Photoshop even though she had the staff to do so.

He added, “But conspiracy theories about Kate Middleton’s secret health crisis and her disappearance from public life were exacerbated by the family photo that was manipulated, and when added to the worrying confusion about the type of cancer that King Charles suffers from and the seriousness of his condition, it appeared that the old palace’s method of dealing with… The media has become obsolete and is no longer applicable.”

Oliver explained that his sympathy for the royal family would diminish if it emerged that the palace was deliberately misleading the public about the health of the Princess of Wales: “I feel very sorry for Kate because she had to go through whatever health problem she had, which took her away from the public eye and from her duties for a long time. But “My sympathy will be eroded if it turns out that she and the palace deliberately misled the media and the public about when the photo was taken to convey a false impression of her condition.”

 Catherine Middleton (42 years old) married the British Crown Prince, Prince William, in 2011, and gave birth to, Prince George (2013), Princess Charlotte (2015), and Prince Louis (2018)