Especially given her surgery, hospital stay, and a private recovery period through Easter were all announced and that time has not yet expired.
If you tell your boss you are going to be on vacation for a week, does your boss call you on Thursday to ask where you are? Does he/she ask for proof that you are alive while on vacation? This “where is Kate” is all rather absurd in my opinion.
There’s even a NY Times article about Kate this morning, which is the only ‘real’ journalism I’ve read. Rumors Swirl About Kate, Princess of Wales, Amid Health Concerns - The New York Times
It seems the press and expectations of the Royals are quite different in the UK, one where some royal women put on a nice dress, heels, makeup and get a blow out to appear for pics less than 24 hours after giving birth, as Kate did.
The only piece of info that raised my eyebrow a bit is William’s solo statement about the Israel-Palestine conflict, using only his personal crest, on the royal couple’s joint Twitter account.
It never occurred to me that she could have had plastic surgery. She has always been so thin, it seemed odd to me that she would have had a tummy tuck, but yeah, after three kids, definitely possible, and it could fit the timeline. The only issue is that the whole surgery thing was urgently done, and hysterectomy and abdominal plastic surgery are usually planned well in advance.
All we know is that the info that was released said her surgery was ‘planned’, and the Royal communications peeps give a lot of thought to how they word things…which makes Prince William’s solo statement about the Israel-Palestinian conflict interesting, because they had to have known how that would look given Kate’s planned absence.
Her surgery could have been anything mentioned on this thread, or some things I don’t think were mentioned (?) like pelvic floor prolapse reconstruction surgery, or she was a kidney donor or recipient. Would any of us be surprised if she did actually have cancer and/or there are also marital troubles? Probably not.
I am surprised that the UK press hasn’t figured this out yet.
While, of course, they do not owe anything to conspiracy theorists, it is unusual that there hasn’t been a picture shown of her recovery. Similar to the photo of King Charles reading get-well cards, it is typically done.
She has to be a hermit just because Kate is not out and about? Good grief.
I don’t consider William and Catherine following the tradition of giving the world a less than a few minutes long sneak peak at the much anticipated newly arrived future king and his siblings as reason to expect a proof of life shot of a recovering Catherine after surgery during her announced leave of absence. One is a monumental and joyful event that immediately paves the new future of the commonwealth, the other is nothing more than an opportunity to what…see someone feeling less than their best and photograph them for deranged satisfaction? Truly don’t see it.
I had not put any thought into William’s personal statement with personal crest. Its interesting, agree on that, I don’t know how significant though. William and Catherine often release personal comments on their social channels, they sign them as ~W or ~C, so I don’t think it signifies a change per se. I think it could very well be he was trying to come across as firm in his assertion and with the confidence of a future king of the commonwealth, and perhaps to the particular culture he was addressing that message would be better heard from a powerful male alone. Unless you tell me he has never before in his married life used his individual crest on any communication, that seems as plausible as the other options that indicate Catherine is no longer in the picture.
Not a fan of Perez Hilton but it’s a summary of a suspicious timeline.
Edited to include this from the article: “While we still don’t know, there was a concerning incident at Sandringham over the holidays that has gone under the radar. On December 28, an ambulance with a police escort was reportedly seen leaving the estate, where the royal family spends Christmas every year. No clue who was inside or what happened, but some folks are now worried it could’ve been Kate.”
The issue is - Buckingham Palace has lost control of the narrative. With the crazed social media, if you don’t provide something, then something will be created for you.
I have no doubt there are some aides pushing that the Wales’ need to put out something to stop the increasing speculation.
I have always assumed it was a hysterectomy which can have a long recuperation. If that were the case, a pic of Kate at the table eating strawberries with her kiddos would put a plug in a lot of the chatter.
It is a nonissue if she went about her day without informing the paps where she would be. There are former presidents who go to the grocery store, and you don’t see a swarm of photographers like MM gets when she goes to lunch.
There is a spanish royal journalist who has stated that she is in a coma. Lots of crazy theories about MH, ED, etc. Varying reports about this person’s credibility.
All I know is that the longer it becomes, the more it feels like the conspiracy theories have legs. (MH, ED, impending divorce, etc.)
Yup. Part of the reason I retired! 
Another interesting question from the media….Why haven’t the kids been seen? Aren’t they going to school on weekdays?
I’m not sure a week’s vacation is a good analogy for not being seen for 2 months. What could be comparable is asking if, while you were on a three-month maternity leave, was there an expectation of calling in/checking in to the office at some point? I think that depends on your type of job. I was an attorney and I remember being on the phone with a work situation 2 days after I got home with S22. Most people don’t have the luxury of being incommunicado for months.
This is a long recovery period for someone whose livelihood comes from being in the public eye. While I agree with the idea that she should be able to have privacy, it just makes one wonder what this could be that requires that kind of recovery and withdrawal. I mean I went back to work 2 weeks after surgery for breast cancer and then worked through chemotherapy and I had a public-facing job. I’m pretty impressed that nothing has leaked.
Other than planned public events / photo ops, the press leaves royal children alone.
I get that, but wouldn’t the press have the awareness that the kids are/are not going to school (even tho they are leaving them alone, not taking pics)?
My guess is that she is not able to be photographed without raising more questions.
I think if the PR office was able, they would have released something to quell all of the speculation.
Of course, she is entitled to privacy but the Royal Family is public and important, so without more info people will continue to speculate.
They reported than the children went to Sandringham earlier this month during half term and returned to Windsor (and school) at the end of break. One hopes the press isn’t calling the school on a daily basis asking, “Did Prince George show up today?”