Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    The Princess Kate Conspiracy Theories Are Running Wild

    The princess has not been seen since Christmas amid her recovery from surgery.

    Iris Goldsztajn's avatar
    By Iris Goldsztajn
    Published 29 February 2024 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Kate Middleton tersely smiles at an engagement
    (Image credit: Getty)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Princess Kate has not been seen in public since Christmas Day, because she is currently in recovery from an abdominal surgery she had in mid-January.

    But because the internet is the internet, people are running wild with "disappearance" conspiracy theories, including drawing supposed timelines of what they believe happened. Other theories include: The Princess of Wales is filming some reality TV, is dating Pete Davidson, has "Freaky Friday-ed" with the King, has been found in an internet-famous house, and, uh, something with Willy Wonka I don't fully understand.

    While making light of any situation can help us feel better about it, it's also important to look at the facts wherever we can, especially when talking about somebody's health, so here's what we actually know based on statements from the Palace and royal sources.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales

    A photo posted by princeandprincessofwales on

    Why has Princess Kate not been seen since Christmas?

    The princess underwent a "planned abdominal surgery" in January, following which she remained in hospital for two weeks before continuing her recovery at home in Windsor. A statement from Kensington Palace explained that Kate would not resume royal duties until at least after Easter; a follow-up statement on February 29 reiterated this.

    Kate Middleton on Christmas Day 2023

    Princess Kate was last seen in public on Christmas Day 2023.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    What has Prince William said about his wife's recovery?

    While Prince William has been characteristically discreet about Kate's surgery and recovery, he did make a joke during one of his first public appearances following her hospitalization.

    You may like
    • Princess Kate princess Charlotte bracelet Why Princess Kate Is Carrying a "Huge Burden"
    • Princess Kate wearing a green dress and holding hands with a cancer patient Princess Kate Reflects On the "Huge Difference" One Hobby Made on Her Cancer Recovery
    • Princess Kate walking in front of Prince George, Prince William and Princess Charlotte Why Prince William and Kids Were Left Waiting for Princess Kate

    At the London Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner, the Prince of Wales said, "It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus, so I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all."

    This also referred to his father King Charles' cancer diagnosis, which was sadly announced earlier this month.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    What else has been said about Kate's recovery?

    When a royal source revealed that Prince William would be pulling out of a service of thanksgiving for his godfather King Constantine of Greece on Feb. 27 due to a "personal matter," the same royal source shared that Kate "continues to be doing well."

    On February 29, a royal source reiterated to HuffPost: "Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands.”

    Iris Goldsztajn
    Iris Goldsztajn
    Social Links Navigation
    Morning Editor

    Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

    Read more
    Princess Kate wearing a green dress and holding hands with a cancer patient
    Royals Princess Kate Reflects On the "Huge Difference" One Hobby Made on Her Cancer Recovery
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Aren't "Lazy"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Pippa Middleton and Princess Kate attending a wedding in 2011
    Royals Why Princess Kate Is Skipping Pippa Middleton's Party
    By Amy Mackelden
    Princess Kate wearing a green dress at Royal Marsden hospital
    Royals Princess Kate Trades Fall's Trendy Moss Green for an Old Favorite Emerald Dress
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Queen Elizabeth laying a wreath at the 9/11 memorial
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Broke Tradition With One "Ultimate Sign of Unity" After 9/11
    Princess Kate wearing a green dress at Royal Marsden hospital
    Royals Princess Kate Trades Fall's Trendy Moss Green for an Old Favorite Emerald Dress
     
     
    Princess Kate wearing a green dress and holding hands with a cancer patient
    Royals Princess Kate Reflects On the "Huge Difference" One Hobby Made on Her Cancer Recovery
    King Harald and Queen Sonja standing with Princess Astrid in a wheelchair
    Royals The Norwegian Royal Family Suffers Another Major Family Death
     
     
    Latest in News
    Queen Elizabeth laying a wreath at the 9/11 memorial
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Broke Tradition With One "Ultimate Sign of Unity" After 9/11
    Ella Rubin and Amelie Hoeferle, who play sisters in 'Sterling Point,' attended a Chanel New York Fashion Week event together in little black dresses
    Celebrity Style 'Sterling Point' Stars Ella Rubin and Amélie Hoeferle Bring Sister LBDs to NYFW
     
     
    Princess Kate wearing a green dress at Royal Marsden hospital
    Royals Princess Kate Trades Fall's Trendy Moss Green for an Old Favorite Emerald Dress
    Princess Kate wearing a green dress and holding hands with a cancer patient
    Royals Princess Kate Reflects On the "Huge Difference" One Hobby Made on Her Cancer Recovery
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.