The Most Disturbing Theories About Kate Middleton's Disappearance

Kate Middleton is nearly a month into her recovery from a planned abdominal surgery in January 2024. "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted into hospital yesterday for planned abdominal surgery," read Kensington Palace's statement that month. "The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will stay in hospital for ten to fourteen days before returning home to continue her recovery." Initially, Middleton's recovery milestones aligned with the original statement. Some days later, Kensington Palace revealed in a subsequent statement that Middleton was recovering from her surgery in the comfort of her home. However, very little info has been revealed since.

Unfortunately, the public has become quite skeptical about the facts surrounding Middleton's recovery, which has been defined by a lack of transparency and or visual proof that she is actually okay. Between the inconsistencies with Middleton's super private recovery protocol, and King Charles III — who was recently diagnosed with cancer — still publicly fulfilling royal duties, and the fact that Prince Williams canceled an important appearance at his godfather's memorial service, royal fans have resorted to sharing theories about why Middleton has taken such a long public break. And while a bit of curiosity is natural and expected, some of the theories are somewhat disturbing.

A certain swath of royal fans believe that Kate Middleton is or was in a coma. According to Newsweek, a Spanish journalist named Concha Calleja alleged that Middleton's medical team put her in a medically induced coma to save her life. During an episode of "Fiesta," Calleja said she'd conversed with a royal aide who claimed that Middleton "was in great danger." They added, "The decision was to put her in an induced coma. ... There were serious complications that they didn't expect because the operation went well, but the postoperative period didn't go so well." And while the Palace denounced Calleja's claims, many on social media have bought into the theory.

"Sound like an embolism or some accident with the anesthetic, may have cause a stroke which explains 9mos recuperation and around the clock nursing care," tweeted one user. "It's quite possible that she had some sort of reaction coming out of anesthesia (happened to me) & had to be intubated. But for *THIS* long? Something is definitely wrong," tweeted another. Meanwhile, another fan proposed an even sadder theory. "So is she on life support then??" they wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Whatever is wrong with her, it's bad. If she COULD be seen, she WOULD be seen, because that would immediately end all the speculation," tweeted another fan. Let's hope they're all way off course. 

Some royal fans are wholly convinced that Kensington Palace's announcement about Kate Middleton's surgery was the royal family's way of covering up a mental health break. "I personally feel like Kate Middleton has had a mental breakdown and the Royals have her locked away somewhere. That or she's simply had enough of that family and they're threatening her," tweeted one user. Another royal watcher tweeted, "Is it bad [I] feel sorry for Kate Middleton. Idk it's so sad she might be having a mental breakdown and has been strong for long." Another user wrote, "It's either Kate Middleton is recovering from plastic surgery or she's locked up in a mental health facility."

This theory is especially disturbing for two reasons. One, a person's mental health struggles are their private business unless they choose to share the information. And even then, people, especially public figures vulnerable to criticism, are allowed to be judicious in how much they share with the world. But the most disturbing aspect of this theory is that there's absolutely no proof to support these claims. Besides, Middleton has a documented history of being a mental health advocate, so it wouldn't really make sense to go to such extreme lengths to orchestrate such an elaborate — and judging by these tweets, sketchy — cover-up. So yeah, let's toss this theory back into where it came from: Thin air.

Brace yourselves because this theory drags King Charles III into the mix. Some fans think that both Kate Middleton and King Charles III are being deceptive about their medical ailments. Instead of the official reports, they believe that Middleton has secretly donated Charles a kidney — not just as a selfless, devoted daughter-in-law, but to secure her place as England's future queen. "I'm thoroughly enjoying all the Kate Middleton conspiracy theories. I have no interest in the royals but the story about her recovering from donating a kidney to Charles in exchange for becoming queen one day is sending me," tweeted one royal watcher, who's amassed over 15,000 likes and 1,000 reposts, as of writing. 

So, a few things. King Charles III is currently being treated for an unspecified form of cancer. Even if he did require a kidney transplant, and Middleton happened to be a match, that story wouldn't spark any less coverage than what's already out there. Middleton's selfless act would help smooth over the royal family's bumpy image, so it doesn't really make sense to go through all this trouble. Plus, according to the current laws of succession, Middleton is already guaranteed her spot as England's future queen as long as nothing untimely happens to her or her husband, Prince William, who's already queued up as the next monarch. Giving a kidney out of love would be an admirable gesture, but to secure a spot she already earned through marriage? Yeah, no. 

Many fans are convinced that Kate Middleton stepped back from royal duties as part of a highly calculated scheme to cover up and distract from her secret divorce from Prince William. "After extensive web research whilst doing laundry, I am now convinced Kate Middleton is either negotiating the largest divorce settlement the BRF has ever paid out, is recovering from a mental health crisis, or is dead," tweeted a very opinionated user. Meanwhile, another fan suggested: "It's not normal at all and William showing up to the BAFTAs alone was a terrible look, but I guess they want to get the public used to seeing him without Kate. That marriage is so over. They're phasing Kate out."

Unfortunately, fans are eagerly running with the divorce theory because of the rampant rumors of marital discontent that have floated about the couple in recent years. In December 2023, Page Six reported on Omid Scobie's controversial book, "Endgame: Inside The Royal Family and their Fight For Survival," which alleged that the royal family was trying hard to minimize press inquiries into his alleged affair with a family friend. That included having Christian Jones, the press secretary, intervene when the British tabloid The Sun looked into the rumors. "Christian was so desperate to stop [the rumor] and made it his mission to do so," wrote Scobie.

The most disturbing theory concerning Kate Middleton's disappearance from the public is the thought that she's secretly passed away. "I don't mean to be a sh*t stirrer, but is Kate Middleton even alive? There are no credible pictures since Christmas, someone was taken away by ambulance on 12/28, and there are vague stories about hospitals and surgeries but where the F is she? What are they hiding?" tweeted one fan. "Who knows, the British press have a blackout on even mentioning her," tweeted a fan in response. "My feelings are something went horribly wrong with whatever surgery she had and it's either going to be a long recovery or she's in a coma and in two months they're going to announce her death."

Again, there's absolutely no evidence to support the outlandish theory that Middleton has died or has experienced any distressing health updates. Plus, the royal family has a protocol in place concerning the deaths of senior royals, and a months-long coverup probably isn't in any official documents. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped royal watchers from considering it, as theories about Middleton's well-being continued to spread online. However, it's important to remember the negative effects that such grim conspiracies can have on Middleton and her family, including her parents, husband, and three young children — especially as she recovers.