Following the Princess of Wales' disappearance from the public eye last December and Kensington Palace's edited photo of Kate Middleton released on Mother's Day, fans have begun circulating conspiracy theories online to explain her prolonged absence.&nbsp;

Last seen in public on December 25 at a <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/travel-living/royal-family-christmas-traditions-queen-elizabeth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christmas</a> Day family church outing, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/why-kate-middleton-has-only-worn-3-royal-tiaras" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kate Middleton</a> has been the Internet's most recent hot topic of discussion after fans have begun spreading bizarre conspiracy theories to account for the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/prince-charles-princess-diana-who-cheated-first-royal-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">princess</a>' supposed disappearance. After months of silence, an edited photo of Kate Middleton on Mother's Day&mdash;and a subsequent cryptic apology&mdash;and most recently, a photo of Prince William in the car with Kate Middleton en route to Westminster Abbey, the public is more enraptured with the royals than ever. L'OFFICIEL&nbsp;follows the events over the past few months as they have progressed and explores all the bizarre, shocking conspiracy theories that social media has to offer about the alleged Kate Middleton disappearance.&nbsp;
Royal watchers are on high alert during the St. Patrick's Day parade, as Middleton is the honorary member of the Irish Guard, but royal sources say both she and Prince William will sit this year's festivities out.&nbsp;
It didn't help that even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prince-william-rose-hanbury-rumor-kate-middleton-explained-2024-3">Stephen Colbert jumped on the train</a> to further speculate about Middleton's whereabouts, while Tiktokers Pop Apologists have been really making the case in a 27-part series that even touches on the bizarre speculation around Lady Gabriella's husband Thomas Kingston's tragic death.
Separately, royal insiders share that Middleton may soon share another royal family photo, in hopes of squashing any further commentary.

The Slow Beginnings of the Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theory Content&nbsp;

On January 17, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/princess-diana-wedding-dress-royal-style-kensington-palace" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kensington Palace</a> announced that the Princess of Wales was admitted the day prior for a planned abdominal surgery and based on medical advice, would not return to public duties before <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/easter-inspired-pastel-makeup-looks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Easter</a>.&nbsp;
"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," Kensington Palace said in the same statement.&nbsp;
While this announcement may at first glance seem relatively average&mdash;by no means conspiracy theory worthy&mdash;it has since been pointed out that Kate Middleton is simply not one to avoid the public eye. In fact, she's one of the most photographed celebrities of the past ten years, with a whole host of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/royal-couple-age-differences-princess-diana-charles-harry-meghan-markle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">royal</a> photo ops, party and event shots, and plenty of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/gigi-hadid-instagram-post-paparazzi-privacy-daughter-khai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paparazzi</a> photos to her credit since she first became associated with the royal family. As more and more time has passed since the initial statement, and since the princess' planned procedure, fans have grown increasingly more and more suspicious of Kate Middleton's seemingly sudden disappearance from the world, pointing out that this is the same woman who was photographed outside hospitals in full hair and makeup just hours after the births of each of her <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/celebrity-surrogate-babies-kim-khloe-kardashian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">children</a>&mdash;and thus, the demand for every imaginable conspiracy theory concerning the situation emerged.

Kate Middleton and Prince William leaving St. Mary's Hospital in London after the birth of their child in 2013. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Kate Middleton and Prince William leaving St. Mary's Hospital in London after the birth of their child in 2015. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories Go Viral

After well over two long months out of the public eye, fans are going wild with conspiracy theory content and speculations on where the uncharacteristically quiet Kate Middleton is, what she's been up to, and why she's taking time away from her royal duties. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/divorce-fashion-history-marilyn-monroe-princess-diana-kim-kardashian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Divorce</a> rumors, plastic surgery speculation, a bad <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/slob-haircut-sleek-bob-hair-hairstyle-trend-beauty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">haircut</a>, or a possible pregnancy are all hot conspiracy theories that fans have been trading back and forth on social media.&nbsp;

Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories Spike After March 4 Car Photo

However, after Kate Middleton was spotted&mdash;supposedly&mdash;for the first time in months on March 4, the rumor has turned into conspiracy theory, and the internet has exploded out of control. The Princess of Wales was photographed in a car with her mother, Carole Middleton, outside of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/queen-elizabeth-ii-christmas-decorations-2021-windsor-castle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Windsor Palace</a>, where Kate and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/prince-william-sang-on-stage-taylor-swift-jon-bon-jovi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William</a> currently reside.
Citing poor photo quality, a drastically different appearance on March 4 and no recent direct public statements, the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/celebrities-who-married-into-royalty-royal-family" target="_blank" rel="noopener">royal</a>-obsessed, the chronically online, and the vaguely disinterested masses alike took to <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/mob-wife-aesthetic-trend-fashion-beauty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tiktok</a> and X&mdash;formerly Twitter&mdash;with plenty of speculations, conspiracy theories, memes, and more.
"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," said a spokesperson for Kensington Palace on March 5 after the initial onset of viral tweets and conjectures.
Even days after the photo of the princess in her car emerged, the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/jack-harlow-internet-boyfriend-viral-tiktok-lil-nas-x-saweetie-first-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internet</a> was still raving about the subject, with guesses on where the real Kate Middleton went getting wilder and wilder and conspiracy theory Twitter, as the online space is colloquially known, goes deeper and deeper.&nbsp;

Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories Continue After Mother's Day Photo Scandal

On March 10, Kensington Palace shared a photo of Kate Middleton and her <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/michael-kors-first-children-line-jet-set-girls-spring-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">children</a> in celebration of Mother's Day. However, the image was quickly pulled from several major news publications&mdash;The Associated Press, Reuters, and Getty Images included&mdash;after discourse began circulating online that the photo had been <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/was-kourtney-kardashian-photoshopped-family-picture-instagram-kim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">edited</a>. Critics noted several inconsistencies, ranging from the jagged editing of the window panes in the background to Princess Charlotte's disappearing sleeve. 
After noticing these odd details, fans immediately took to social media, going even deeper into their best conspiracy theories and explanations as to where they thought the Princess was and why this most recent photo had been doctored. Thus, the photo that was meant to quell all of the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/gossip-girl-reboot-looks-worth-recreating" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gossip</a>, rumors, and conspiracy theories only ended up fueling the fire. As a response to the situation that unfolded after the release of this photo, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/kate-middleton-royal-jewels-wedding-anniversary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kensington Palace</a> released the following statement: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C." This statement, as well as the caption that accompanied the original Mother's Day post, both signed C for Catherine, were the first that the public had heard seemingly directly from the princess in months, which has sent fans and the general public alike even deeper down the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/alexa-demie-age-euphoria-actress-birthday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conspiracy theory</a> rabbit hole. Following the Mother's Day photo debacle, Kate Middleton was photographed with Prince William, in a car headed to Westminster Palace, where the two reportedly headed to a personal appointment, yet another update from the royals that has sent the internet into a conspiracy theory frenzy.&nbsp;
Below, see some of the strangest conspiracy theory content swirling around the bizarre situation surrounding the Princess of Whales' disappearance and Kensington Palace's attempts to reconcile the public opinion on the matter.&nbsp;

Bizarre Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories Straight From The Source

Among the most popular conspiracy theories swirling around the internet were in relation to the princess' appearance. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/celebs-who-had-plastic-surgery-reversals-lip-filler-botched-botox" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Plastic surgery</a>, a facelift, and bad <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/curly-pixie-cut-inspiration-photos-how-to-style-pixie-curls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">haircut</a> rumors were only the beginning of the bizarre explanations the Internet had to offer for Kate Middleton's disappearance.

Another favored conspiracy theory is a change in occupation, with many people suggesting that maybe Kate Middleton just got tired of being a <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/every-live-action-disney-princess-movie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">princess</a>.&nbsp;

Numerous posters offered no off-the-wall conspiracy theory or supposed explanation for Kate Middleton's disappearance but joined in on the fun regardless.&nbsp;

Most recently, the internet speculated on why Kensington Palace released edited photos of the Princess of Wales, and what "C" meant in the cryptic statement released after the photo was criticized online.&nbsp;

While it's doubtful that the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/kate-middleton-princess-diana-jewelry-earrings-king-charles-coronation-royal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Princess of Wales</a> got a secret BBL or had time to spare to visit the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/viral-pop-culture-moments-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">viral</a> failed Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience, as some users suggested online, the internet has had no shortage of fun with Kate Middleton's break from the media, as evidenced by the wealth of wild conspiracy theory content that has surfaced.&nbsp;

Where is Kate Middleton? 13 Over-the-Top Fan Theories

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